Lester left the contest in the seventh inning after holding the Rays’ bats to just three hits. Following his departure, Daniel Bard allowed one run to score — charged to Lester — that cut the Boston lead to 2-1.
The game would be tied up an inning later thanks to an Evan Longoria homer — the Rays third baseman’s first hit of the night following three straight strikeouts against Lester. Willy Aybar also put up three K’s against the Sox lefty.
After his 110th pitch plunked Carlos Pena, Lester took a seat on the bench and watched his six-inning, three-hit masterpiece fade away.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona discussed it all in his postgame interview with NESN’s Heidi Watney.
