Jon Lester, per quello che ha fatto dopo quello che ha passato..... un altro motivo per essere orgogliosi di questa squadra
edit: Francona only has one son, but of all the members of his team, Lester is probably the one who feels like a second. So you can understand why Francona and Lester were both so emotional in an embrace shortly after the left-hander's masterpiece was complete.
"This probably isn't fair to say, but I feel like my son graduated and my [other] son threw a no-hitter," Francona said. "It couldn't happen to a better kid. It's probably selfish on my part to even say something like that, but I think it's obvious how we feel about this kid."
When Lester was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma in late August 2006, Francona was crushed. But he didn't let Lester see that. Instead, he supported him as much as he could and also kept in frequent contact with Lester's parents.
After going through six chemotherapy treatments, Lester made it to Spring Training on time in 2007, though he wouldn't pitch in a Major League game until July. During that entire season, he formed a bond with his manager.
"Through everything I've been through, he's been like a second dad to me," Lester said. "Just being able to talk to him not as a manager but as a friend, he cares a lot about his players. It's not just about what you can do on the field, it's what type of person you are and he cares a lot about that."