Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has spent most of his time in the Major Leagues in the AL, where he hardly ever had to hit.
Unsurprisingly, Lester has been a particularly terrible hitter, and he started his career 0-for-66. He’s a career .072 hitter, which means he gets a hit around seven percent of the time.
But this year, Lester’s hitting has been slightly improved—he’s hitting .105. And after 12 years in the league, Lester finally hit his first home run.
Are you kidding me? Jon Lester adds to the home run party by hitting the first dinger of his career. Wow. pic.twitter.com/tzZSxl9911
— Cubs Talk (@CSNCubs) August 2, 2017
Jon Lester (2) off LHP Patrick Corbin (30) – 103.5 mph, 21 degrees (398 ft Home Run)
91.2 mph Four-Seamer#Dbacks @ #Cubs (B3) pic.twitter.com/TsZVujXieM— MLBBarrelAlert (@MLBBarrelAlert) August 2, 2017
It was even opposite field! And it put the Cubs up 8-1 over the Diamondbacks as they look to extend their second half hot streak.
To make things even better, Lester got his 2,000th strikeout in the same game.