If he comes out victorious, he'll reach the 20-win mark for the first time in his career, and he'll have put the finishing touches on his third consecutive fantastic season.
Since 2007, Lester is 50-22 with a 3.19 ERA and an average of about 200 strikeouts per season.
While that's great, it's even better that he's just 26 years old. He's already accomplished a lot on the mound, from his no-hitter to his victory in the World Series, and that's despite his cancer setback in '06. Clearly, Jon Lester will be a big name for a long time.
Yet, this year, he likely won't win the American League Cy Young Award, but that's through no fault of his own. Seattle's Felix Hernandez has been sensational all season, and he's worthy of the award. If the voters don't vote for Hernandez because of his low win tally, they'll likely go to CC Sabathia, who has 21 wins and has won the award before. Sometimes, that's just how the voting works.
However, Lester should have nothing to worry about. Provided he can stay healthy, he's proven since he entered the league that he is as consistent as they come. It seems inevitable that he'll take home a Cy Young Award at some point in his career, but how many?
If he wins multiple, he'll join an elite group of just 15 pitchers. Roger Clemens has more than anyone with seven, with Randy Johnson (five), Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux (four apiece) behind him. Pedro Martinez won the award in 1997 (with the Expos), 1999 and 2000 (with the Red Sox), while Tim Lincecum and Johan Santana have won the award twice this decade.
How many Cy Young Awards will Jon Lester win in his career?Market Research
