Jon Lester Announces Retirement

Longtime MLB pitcher Jon Lester has officially announced his retirement.

Lester was a free agent this offseason and likely could have landed himself another one-year deal. Yet, the 38-year-old noted that playing has become too hard on him physically. He also stated that he wanted to retire on his own accord, rather than eventually due to a lack of interest around the league.

In 28 games this past season between the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals, Lester had a 7-6 record, 4.71 ERA, and 91 strikeouts. Although those numbers aren't necessarily the best, he did improve after being traded to the Cardinals. Thus, there was some hope he'd play again in 2022.

Lester had himself a fantastic career. In 452 games between the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Nationals, and Cardinals, he had a 200-117 record, 3.66 ERA, and 2,488 strikeouts. He also was a five-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion, NLCS MVP (2016), and led the NL in wins during the 2018 season.

Lester pitched his best during the postseason, however, as he had a 9-7 record, 2.51 ERA, and 133 strikeouts.

Nevertheless, congrats on an awesome career, Jon!