Knuckle Curve » jon lester

John Lackey Signs with the Red Sox

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:55:25 +0000

The Boston Red Sox landed the top free agent pitcher in free agency when they inked John Lackey to a five-year deal worth more than $82 million. Lackey, who has spent his whole career with the Los Angeles Angels, now joins Josh Becket and Jon Lester in Boston’s rotation.

The 31-year-old was 11-8 last season with the Angels. He finished with a 3.83 ERA and had 139 strikeouts in 176.1 innings. He has at least nine wins in each season of his career and has had a sub-4.00 ERA the last five seasons.

The money for Lackey opened when the Red Sox apparently gave up on signing free agent Jason Bay. Instead, they locked up a pitcher who has pitched very well against Boston in the playoffs recently.

Last offseason, the New York Yankees gave A.J. Burnett a deal worth $82.5 million over five seasons. Lackey wanted a similar deal and he was able to get just that in Boston.

With a strong starting rotation, the Red Sox will likely be right there with the Yankees at the top of the American League.

John Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

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Tampa Bay Rays Lose 11th Straight

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:51:53 +0000

This time last year, the Tampa Bay Rays were in the middle of a miraculous run that landed on top of the AL West and eventually sent the Rays to the World Series. This year isn’t quite as fun.

On Sunday, the Rays saw their losing streak extend to 11 games when the Boston Red Sox won by a final count of 4-0. The Rays are no only 72-71 and they are already looking forward to next season.

In their latest loss, Jon Lester dominated. The Red Sox starting pitcher threw eight innings in which he only gave up two hits while striking out seven.

James Shields, who started the game for the Rays, isn’t impressed with the losing streak.

Said Shields: “It’s embarrassing. Eleven straight losses. Not fun at all. Whether we’re in the race or not, we’ve got to play better baseball.”

As for the Red Sox, the win pushed them four games ahead of the Texas Rangers in the AL Wild Card race.

Evan Longoria and the Rays aren't happy these days (Image: Zuma Press)

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Red Sox Force Game 7 against Rays – Video

Stephen Kersey — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 05:00:28 +0000

After overcoming a 7-0 deficit late in Game 5, the Boston Red Sox continue to fight. In Game 6, the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa Bay to force a Game 7.

The Rays got off to a good start with postseason hero BJ Upton hitting a home run to put the team up 1-0. But with the game tied 2-2, Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek hit a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning to put Boston up for good as they went on to win 4-2.

Now in Game 7, all the pressure is on the upstart Rays. The good news is that they will have the game at home. The bad news is that the Red Sox have a huge experience advantage and will be much better equipped to deal with the added pressure.

Game 7 of the American League Championship Series will take place on Sunday night and will feature Jon Lester of the Red Sox going against Matt Garza of the Rays. The winner of the game will advance to play the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 World Series.

Here is a video showing the highlights of Game 6 and previewing of Game 7:

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Doug Davis Back After Thyroid Cancer Surgery

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:52:00 +0000

Perhaps the story of the year is developing in Arizona. Doug Davis, a starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks, is ready to pitch against after having cancer surgery on April 10th.

Davis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the offseason but decided to make two regular season starts before having the surgery. On Friday, Davis will be back on the mound for the Diamondbacks.

In the two starts Davis made at the beginning of the season, he went 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA while striking out 11 batters in 9.2 innings. In 2007, Davis won a career-high 13 games for Arizona.

Davis has been told the cancer was successfully removed and he is expected to make a full recovery. We at KnuckleCurve pass along our best wishes to Doug Davis for his heroic battle.

Earlier in the week, fellow cancer survivor Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox.

Photo: Newscom

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