Red Sox Jon Lester No-Hits Kansas City

The Red Sox not only beat the suddenly hot Kansas City Royals last night, but did so in dramatic fashion. Or perhaps I should say Jon Lester did it in dramatic fashion by throwing his first career complete game and dispatching the Royals with 130 pitches. . .oh and throwing a no-hitter to boot.

He becomes the 18^th pitcher in Red Sox history to throw a no-hitter, and is the second Red Sox pitcher to throw a no hitter in 9 months: Clay Buchholz threw one last September 1 against the Orioles. The Red Sox stand only behind the Dodgers for the most no hitters. For a detailed look at the 9th inning from a fan perspective, I direct your attention to Reel to Field.

A no hitter is rarely a one man affair.

Perhaps just as amazing, this was Jason Varitek's 4^th time catching a no-hitter, a major league record. Why is that amazing; being at the right place at the right time, or being a catcher on a team with a consistently good pitching staff? It's more than that. Varitek is consistently cited as being the most prepared catcher in the game; this is not a case of being in the right place at the right time. This IS a case of setting his pitchers up to be the most successful they can be each time they take the mound.

Curt Schilling came just 1 out (and 1 strike really) from throwing his first career no hitter against the A's last June. What was his quote: "We get two outs, and I was sure, and I had a plan, and I shook [Vari]tek off. And I get a big 'What if?' for the rest of my life." Had he not shaken Jason off, perhaps we're talking about Tek's 5^th career no hitter caught and the 3^rd Sox no hitter in 12 months.

Considering the lack of hitting in early baseball, it's astounding to me that in the age of designated hitters, maple bats, live balls, raised pitchers mounds, and shortened outfield fences, a record of 4 no hitters caught is set in 2008.

Jacoby Ellsbury, another young star in his first full season (read here: Rookie), hauled in the defining play of the game: with 2 out in the 4^th inning, he caught Jose Guillen's sinking line drive with a diving catch. In Buchholz's no-hitter, it was Dustin Pedroia's (NB: Rookie) backhand stab of a 7^th inning Miguel Tejada shot that saved the no hitter.

Fate watches out for Mr. Lester

Fate was watching out for Lester one day in 2006 when he was involved in an auto accident. Hard to imagine an auto accident being a fortunate thing, but because he felt pain in his back, he went to a doctor and as we say, the rest was history.

Lester will forever be known as a big league pitcher who beat cancer, but clearly he brings more to the table than a disease he's beaten. A year removed from cancer treatment, he pitched (and won) game 4 of the World Series. Today, he wakes up the 18^th pitcher in Red Sox history to throw a no-hitter.