Jul 11, 2008 11:26 am US/Central
Red Sox Pitcher Jon Lester Off Marriage Market
Cancer Survivor Pitched No-Hitter Back In May
BOSTON (CBS) ―
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Jon Lester threw his first major league no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals on May 19. (File)
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester is officially off the market. That's right ladies. The 24-year-old ace from Tacoma, Washington is engaged.
Reporter Dan Roche of CBS station WBZ-TV got the scoop at Thursday night's Becket Bowl fundraiser.
Lester took girlfriend Farrah Johnson out on the town Wednesday night and popped the question, "as far away from Fenway as possible," Lester told Roche.
"We went out to dinner and went down by the water a little bit and walked around and did it down there.
"She said yes, which is a good thing."
It has been quite an exciting couple months for Lester. On May 19 the lefty threw his first major league no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals, becoming just the 17th pitcher in Red Sox history to complete the feat.
Lester and Johnson met at the beginning of the 2007 season, while he was making rehab starts in Greenville, S.C. Lester was in South Carolina to begin his remarkable comeback from his 2006 cancer diagnosis.
In August 2006, Jon Lester was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Six months and six rounds of chemotherapy later he was declared cancer-free, and returned to the majors in July 2007.
Back in May when facing Kansas City, Lester allowed just two baserunners, walking Billy Butler in the second inning and Esteban German to open the ninth. He struck out nine, including Alberto Callaspo to end the game.
Lester and manager Terry Francona met for a long, hard embrace when it was over.
"He just said he was proud of me," Lester said. "I've been through a lot the last couple of years. He's been like a second dad to me. It was just a special moment right there."
Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a diving catch of Jose Guillen's line drive to end the fourth -- the best defensive play of the game. Lester also got help from first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who made a nice scoop on shortstop Julio Lugo's throw after David DeJesus hit a grounder in the third.
The fans really got into it for the final out of the seventh, rising to their feet when Lester fanned Guillen on a 93 mph fastball. They remained standing for the entire ninth inning, flashes popping, screaming at full throat when defensive replacement Callaspo fell behind 0-2.
Lester pumped both fists in the air after Callaspo reached for a high and outside 1-2 fastball.
Lester jumped into catcher Jason Varitek's arms before they were both mobbed by teammates running out of the dugout. After Lester hugged Francona, the pitcher tipped his hat to the Fenway Park fans for one more big cheer.
Boston's last no-hitter was pitched by Clay Buchholz, who shut down the Baltimore Orioles in just his second major league start last Sept. 1.
Mel Parnell was the last Red Sox lefty to throw a no-hitter, beating the Chicago White Sox on July 14, 1956.
Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan is the only other person in history to no-hit the Royals.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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