Chicago Cubs Jon Lester Sets Record for Hitting Futility

As good as Chicago Cubs starter Jon Lester is on the mound, he is equally incompetent at the plate. On this day last year, Lester set a record for futility in the batter’s box to start a Major League career.

At this point, Jon Lester’s strengths and weakneses are quite well known. He has become a solid starter, first for the Boston Red Sox and now for the Chicago Cubs. A pitcher who has been a key part of World Series winning teams in 2007 and 2013, Lester was brought to the Chicago Cubs to help guide them to the championship for the first time in over a century.

However, there are other aspects to the game that Lester is just not adept at. Watching Lester attempt to throw to first for a pickoff is utterly painful. When it comes to trying to hit a baseball, Lester may be the poster child for those who wish to see a universal designated hitter, as he may be one of the worst hitters in history.

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As it stands, Lester already holds one record for hitting futility. On this day last year, Lester went 0-2 with a strikeout against Max Scherzer to go hitless in his first 59 career at bats. In doing so, he broke a record that he held with former Padres pitcher Joey Hamilton. Of course, as Lester spent the majority of his career in the American League, it was not as though he was really expected to swing a bat much until he came to Chicago.

Yet, one would think that, knowing he would be involved in interleague games, and later that he was coming to the National League, Lester would put in more time attempting to improve his craft at the plate. Even if he is not going to get many hits, he still needed to bunt runners over. Yet, to that end, Lester had five sacrifices in his career at that point.

Eventually, after 66 futile at bats, Lester would get his first hit, and infield single against the Cardinals on July 6th, victimizing his former teammate John Lackey for the base knock. While he may never be confused as a stellar hitter, Lester has at least manage to no longer be an automatic out when stepping to the plate, so that is a sign of improvement.

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On the list of accomplishments that Jon Lester has had in his career, his exploits in the batter’s box will not be among those that he looks back upon. However, Lester can say that he did set a record with the bat, albeit one of futility.