Did Cubs fans see the last of Jon Lester in Chicago?
It’s obviously too soon to tell. But the pitcher’s postgame press conference Wednesday night certainly sounded like it could be a farewell.
Lester gave up two earned runs on four hits with a walk and strikeout in Chicago’s 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians.
After the game, Lester said he’s unsure what the future holds.
“Probably the last … hopefully not the last regular season start putting on the pinstripes tonight,” he said, via WBBM-TV’s Krista Ruch. “A lot of things on my mind. This year hasn’t been easy for a lot of reasons. And I’m not sitting here saying, ‘Woe is me,’ because there’s a lot of people worse off than me. But you know a lot of emotions coming into this and don’t really know what to say or how to take it. A lot of uncertainties going forward.”
Lester, 36, will be a free agent this offseason unless the Cubs pick up his $25 million option.
But the most frustrating part, Lester noted, was not being able to have fans in the stands for what could have been his final start.
“I think that’s probably the most frustrating part for me,” he said. “Going back to ’14, I didn’t really get to walk off the field like I wanted to at Fenway. And obviously tonight didn’t quite go the way I wanted. … Not really how I envisioned possibly my last start here.
“I didn’t think six years would go this fast,” he added.
Lester spent his first nine Major League Baseball seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
The southpaw is 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA with 10 games left on the Cub’s schedule.
Thumbnail photo via Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports Images
