Lester announced his retirement from professional baseball Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Lester, 38, ends his prolific 16-year MLB career with a 200-117 record, 3.66 ERA and 2,488 strikeouts over 2,740 innings between the Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs, Cardinals and Nationals. He picked up five All-Star nods along the way and was a key rotation piece for World Series-winning teams in Boston (2007 and 2013) and Chicago (2016) while churning out a career 2.51 ERA in the postseason.
Cardinals' Jon Lester: Allows four runs in no-decision
Rotowire
Lester allowed four earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out four across five innings in the loss to the Cubs on Saturday. He did not factor into the decision.
Lester allowed all four runs on one swing of the bat on a grand slam by Trayce Thompson. He has struggled with walks; Saturday marked his fourth time issuing four free passes this season. The 37-year-old has a 4.36 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 40 strikeouts in 66 innings for the Cardinals this season.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Escapes with no-decision
Rotowire
Lester didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Cubs, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out six.
The veteran southpaw struggled to keep runners off base before exiting after 96 pitches (56 strikes) with the Cards down 4-2, but a rally in the top of the seventh inning took Lester off the hook for his second loss with St. Louis and seventh of the season. He has pitched better for his new club, posting a 4.13 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 36:22 K:BB through 61 innings over 11 starts since coming over from the Nats.
Lester (7-6) allowed two runs on three hits while striking out two over six innings in a win over the Brewers on Monday.
Lester was brilliant Monday aside from the second inning, when he let up a pair of solo home runs to Avisail Garcia and Luis Urias. Those were two of the three total hits he allowed on the night and he didn't walk a batter for a second straight start. The 37-year-old needed just 77 pitches to navigate through six frames and it was the fourth time in his last five starts he's been able to throw six or more innings. In eight starts since Aug. 14, Lester is 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB over 45.2 innings. He became the 119th pitcher in baseball history to reach the 200-win mark Monday night and will look to keep things rolling over the weekend when he makes a visit to the familiar Wrigley Field.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Moved up in pitching schedule
Rotowire
Lester will start Monday's series opener against the Brewers in Milwaukee, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
St. Louis previously listed Lester as its probable starter for Tuesday's game, but he'll move ahead of Jake Woodford in the Cardinals' pitching schedule as St. Louis begins a seven-game week. According to Jones, the Cardinals' main motivation to have Lester take the hill Monday rather than Tuesday may have been to keep him lined up for a potential start in a one-game wild-card contest on five days' rest. Lester has delivered quality starts in three of his last four outings, turning in a 2.19 ERA and 0.97 WHIP across 24.2 innings during that stretch.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Picks up quality start
Rotowire
Lester (6-6) allowed two earned runs on six hits and no walks with seven strikeouts over six innings, picking up the win in Wednesday's 11-4 victory over the Mets.
Lester was staked to a 5-0 lead before entering the game Wednesday night and cruised to career win No. 199. His seven strikeouts tied his season high and are the most he's had since joining the Cardinals at the trade deadline. Though he did give up a pair of home runs to Pete Alonso and Kevin Pillar, they both came with the bases empty. Over his last five starts, the 37-year-old has been vintage Lester, carrying a 2-0 record with a 2.12 ERA.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Pitches effectively in no-decision
Rotowire
Lester did not factor in the decision against Cincinnati on Friday, tossing seven innings and allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two.
The veteran was a bit wild in the contest -- he tied a season high with four free passes -- but Lester was nonetheless effective, completing seven innings for the first time since July 19 and limiting the Reds to a pair of solo home runs. The strong outing continued a recent resurgence by the southpaw, who has posted a 1.90 ERA over his past four starts covering 23.2 frames. His peripherals make it hard to believe in Lester's continued success, as he has also posted a less-than-ideal 13:10 K:BB over that stretch, so fantasy managers should proceed with caution. Lester's next start is tentatively slated to come in New York against the Mets next week.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Yields one run in no-decision
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Lester allowed one run on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings in Sunday's loss to Milwaukee. He struck out two and did not factor in the decision.
The only real damage against Lester was Pablo Reyes' solo shot in the second inning. The veteran lefty was in line for his third win as a Cardinal before the bullpen collapsed in the ninth. Over his last three outings, he's allowed just three runs through 16.2 innings (1.62 ERA) with an 11:6 K:BB. Lester is projected to face the Reds at home next week.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Earns second win as Cardinal
Rotowire
Lester (5-6) allowed one run on a hit and two walks over 6.1 innings Monday, striking out five and earning a win over the Reds.
Aside from Kyle Farmer's solo shot in the second inning, the Reds had no answer for Lester all night. After the home run, he retired the next 16 batters in order before a walk to Joey Votto in the seventh ended his night. He's given up two runs over 11.1 innings in his last two starts, lowering his season ERA to 5.05 through 107 innings. Lester is lined up to face the Brewers on the road this weekend.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Effective in no-decision
Rotowire
Lester allowed one run on seven hits and two walks while striking out four in five innings of Wednesday's 3-2, extra-inning win over the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.
It was Lester's second good start in five outings since being sent to St. Louis. Since the trade, the lefty has a 6.04 ERA and 12:11 K:BB in 25.1 innings. The Cardinals clearly acquired Lester to be an innings-eater as they get through the last two months of the regular season, and he's done that pretty effectively, completing at least five frames in all but one of his post-deadline starts. Lester is expected to make his next start Monday in Cincinnati.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Surrenders four across 4.1 innings
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Lester got a no-decision in Thursday's 8-4 win against Milwaukee, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks in 4.1 inning. He failed to record a strikeout.
Lester labored through 4.1 innings, throwing 89 total pitches, but was only bit in the fourth when he permitted five baserunners and all four runs. Fortunately for the 37-year-old, St. Louis rebounded with five runs in the fifth to regain the lead and eliminate Lester's potential loss. This was the veteran lefty's fourth start with the Cardinals, and he's allowed a disappointing 16 runs in 20.1 total innings with just eight strikeouts since joining the team.
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Cardinals' Jon Lester: Allows one run in win
Rotowire
Lester (4-6) allowed one run on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts through 5.2 innings, picking up his first win as a Cardinal in Saturday's 9-4 victory over the Royals.
After giving up five earned runs to this same Royals team one turn ago, Lester finally looked at home Saturday in the Cardinals' powder blues. The southpaw did allow seven hits; all seven went for singles, however. While the strikeouts have evaporated from his game, his veteran guile figures to make him a mainstay in the St. Louis rotation for the rest of the season.
