Lester to Dodgers: Back at ya
Lefty wins mind games, not rattled by baserunners
LOS ANGELES — Jon Lester gave the Dodgers exactly what they wanted to start a pivotal Game 5 of the National League Championship Series: a baserunner.
After drawing a fourpitch walk in the bottom of the opening inning, leadoff hitter Kike Hernandez took a giant lead off first base and promptly began auditioning for “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Hernandez didn’t take just any old leadoffs while Lester was in the process of striking out No. 2 hitter Justin Turner. We’re talking about next- level distraction tactics, full of strange gesturing and, one can only assume, animal noises.
The Dodgers did their best to mess with Lester throughout the lefty’s brilliant night, during which he allowed a single run in seven innings of the Cubs’ 8- 4 victory. As is well known to all, Lester has a mental block as big as a Buick when it comes to throwing the baseball to any base other than the one with a catcher behind it.
“We’re going to try to get huge leads and try to bunt on him and try to get into his psyche a little bit,” L. A. manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “So I think if we can get him a little uncomfortable, which is what we tried to do in Game 1, we’re going to do more of that.”
Yo, Dodgers: How’d that strategy work out for you?
The “gamesmanship” Roberts promised worked about as well as brass knuckles in a fight with a charging elephant. With two outs in the second inning, Joc Pederson bunted at Lester, who pounced on the ball, spun and — yes, on purpose — one- hopped the throw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Then he stared into the Dodgers dugout as he slowly walked off the field, as if to say:
“Bring it on. I’ll be here all night.”
Messing with them right back? Nice touch, big fella.
Justin Turner got the Dodgers’ first stolen base in the third, a tactic it’s a wonder opponents don’t employ more often against Lester. But the Cubs’ ace responded with a clutch strikeout of Corey Seager on a full count. Two pitches earlier, Lester had seemed to deliver a perfect strike to end the inning, but home- plate umpire Alfonso Marquez ruled it a ball.
So what else was Lester going to do? As he stormed off the mound, he stared daggers at Marquez and shouted an expletive.
Is it really a wise idea for opponents to try to unnerve this guy? Lester seems to have a higher gear he goes into these days when he’s ticked off. For certain, these are his finest days as a Cub and some of the very best of his career.
The Cy Young award? Give it to him. The Cubs’ postseason MVP to date? Well, they are 3- 0 in games he has started. How do 21 innings and two runs allowed sound?
Any pitcher — ever — would take those numbers.
We know opponents are going to keep trying to chip away at Lester’s composure. If the Cubs are able to win a game this weekend at Wrigley Field, then Lester’s next start will come against the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.
The Indians are managed by Terry Francona, who had Lester in Boston and surely isn’t above giving an old friend a little grief. You know what? Let him. Follow me on Twitter @ SL-Greenberg.