Jon Lester went into Sunday afternoon’s start with something to prove after an incredibly inconsistent first 10 starts this season, and looked quite a bit like the 2008 version of the overpowering left-hander in a pivotal start.

For those with short sporting memories, the 25-year-old won 16 games and totaled 210 1/3 innings while proving to be the most reliable link on the Boston starting staff’s chain from beginning to end. But entering Sunday afternoon Lester had an ERA over 6.00 and was allowing opponents to hit over .300 against him this season – a far cry from the dominant work the big southpaw put in last summer from wire-to-wire.

But all that seemed to change on Sunday afternoon against the Blue Jays – a team that Lester went winless against last season – as the young lefty painted the black along home plate with a 96-mph fastball and knee-buckling curveball that froze the dazzled Toronto offense right in its place. Perhaps the most encouraging thing was his ability to maintain his electric stuff in the fifth and sixth inning when Lester has been prone to mistakes over the course of this season.

“It all started with Lester,” said Sox manager Terry Francona to reporters after the game. “He was powerful.”

Lester allowed only three hits and a run over six innings of work and fanned a career-high 12 batters – the most by a Sox hurler in a six-inning start since Pedro Martinez back in 2001 and the most whiffs by a Sox southpaw since Bruce Hurst struck out 14 against the Oakland A’s back in 1987.

“I had a pretty good feel for my curveball today and threw a lot of change-ups,” said Lester to reporters. “That's big with this team. You've just got to keep a good mix and you can't let them look for one area or sit on a fastball. When I did get behind, I was able to have enough soft stuff in the mix where they couldn't just gear up for a fastball.” 

 

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