NEWSLETTER
I really, genuinely do wish nothing but the best for former Cubs who were good teammates, fun to root for, great with fans, etc. No hard feelings.
But, as the Cubs struggle overall, and as they were losing last night, it was a little tough to stomach the combination of Jon Lester making his scoreless debut with the Nationals *AND* Kyle Schwarber then walking them off. Maybe I can stomach it a little better this morning, and here it is if you, too, want to enjoy/torture yourself.
Lester, who had missed the first month of the season on the COVID list, debuted with five scoreless innings, the first out of which was a long fly out to left fielder Kyle Schwarber (who gave Lester a fist pump):
Good on Lester, who, at 37, probably still has a lotta runway left as a crafty veteran. The timing wasn’t right for a return with the Cubs (I also suspect they knew it was going to be Lester or Jake Arrieta in the end, and they preferred Arrieta), but I’ll always enjoy watching Lester pitch.
As for the other former Cub who factored into the Nationals win, it was Kyle Schwarber hitting a mammoth 10th inning walk-off shot:
It’s been a rough start for Schwarber with the Nationals (.206/.254/.365, 65 wRC+), but it’s nice to see him get that moment. In fact, he’s had only two homers this year, but both have been walk-off shots.
