Lester inducted into the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame
Portland, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs, in conjunction with Unum, have announced that former Sea Dog and current Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has been inducted to the Unum Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame.
Portland, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs, in conjunction with Unum, have announced that former Sea Dog and current Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has been inducted to the Unum Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame.
Lester was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 2002 June draft. The lefty spent all of the 2005 season with the Portland Sea Dogs and was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, pacing the league in ERA (2.61) and strikeouts (163). In addition, Lester was named a Mid-Season All-Star, Year End All-Star, and went 1-0 in two post-season starts.
Lester made one start for Portland in 2007, earning a win. For his Sea Dogs career, Lester is 12-6, 2.57 ERA in 27 career starts. He currently holds the Sea Dogs career best ERA and ranks second in franchise history with 163 strikeouts.
Lester made his major-league debut and 15 starts overall for Boston in 2006. His season was cut short due to an anaplastic large cell lymphoma diagnosis in late August. He earned his first win on June 16, 2006 at Atlanta, allowing one earned run in 6.0 innings in the Red Sox' 4-1 victory.
Lester's 1,386 strikeouts with Boston are the most in club history by a left-hander and fourth-most overall on the franchise list. He earned 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013 Red Sox Pitcher of the Year honors from the Boston Chapter of the BBWAA. In 2007, he won the Tony Conigliaro Award for overcoming adversity. In May 19, 2008 against the Royals, he became the 18th pitcher in Red Sox history to throw a no-hitter.
A four-time All-Star and three-time World Series Champion, Lester is in his third season with Chicago after he signed with the Cubs on December 15, 2014. He was the MVP of the 2016 NLCS leading the Cubs to the World Series.
Entering 2017, Lester owned a 146-84 record with a 3.44 ERA (766 ER/2,003.2 IP) in 317 games, all but one as a starter, with Boston (2006-14), Oakland (2014) and the Cubs (2015-16). On August 1, 2017, he became just the 25th left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball history to record 2,000 strikeouts.
The Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame was established in 2005. Lester joins Josh Beckett, John Boles, Dan Burke, Todd Claus, Bob Ganley,
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, players must have debuted with the Sea Dogs at least ten years ago and have had success in Portland and beyond. Each inductee is presented a plaque for their accomplishment. In addition, plaques of the Hall of Fame members are displayed in the Hadlock Field concourse.