John Farrell on Jon Lester: “He Knows Where His Strengths Lie”

Oct 16, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher

addresses the media prior to game four of the American League Championship Series baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The time has arrived to take a good look at the best two teams in the MLB. Representing the American League, the Boston Red Sox are looking to add another World Series victory to their resume and call themselves champs yet again. They’ll try to award the city of Boston with four wins to take home the crown.

It was announced on Monday that Jon Lester would take the mound in Game One against the Cardinals. Here’s what John Farrell had to say about his ace via MLB.com:

“He knows himself better,” Farrell said. “He knows what his checkpoints are. He knows where his strengths lie. And I think more importantly, he can trust himself. What I mean by that is that in his first couple of years in his big league career, he was so locked in on trying to figure out what the opposition was doing and going in to attack that.“In other words, what was their game plan against him? Which you didn’t know. You had no way of knowing until you set the approach that you were going to execute against them first. So he’s trusting in his abilities and establishing himself on the mound initially and then responding to how they adjust to him. He’s very much a concrete thinker and I think he’s become much more at ease with himself to know, ‘Not everything is in my control, and yet I trust my abilities to perform well.'”

It will be interesting to see what Lester can bring to the table during crunch time. He went 15-8 this season with a 3.75 ERA, tallying 177 strikeouts. In the postseason, he earned a 2-1 record including a clutch performance against the Tampa Bay Rays where he pitched into the eighth inning, helping Boston solidify their 12-2 victory.

Lester is going to have to match up against a Cardinals lineup that was hot all year. There isn’t a weakness on St. Louis’ lineup card, so if there’s a time for Lester’s best performance, it’s now. He doesn’t have much experience playing against the Cardinals–the batter he has faced the most is Yadier Molina who hasn’t been able to register a hit in just three at-bats.

Will Jon Lester be dominant? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.