On Wednesday morning, the baseball world learned a three-time World Series champion pitcher is walking away from the game.
Longtime pitcher Jon Lester announced his retirement in an interview with ESPN. The 38-year-old pitcher made it clear he wanted to walk out on his terms, rather than be told when to leave the game.
Lester said the physical rigors of Major League Baseball were just too much at this stage of his career. As a result, he decided to walk away from the game.
Here’s what he told ESPN:
“It’s kind of run its course,” Lester said. “It’s getting harder for me physically. The little things that come up throughout the year turned into bigger things that hinder your performance.
“I’d like to think I’m a halfway decent self-evaluator. I don’t want someone else telling me I can’t do this anymore. I want to be able to hand my jersey over and say, ‘Thank you, it’s been fun.’ That’s probably the biggest deciding factor.”
Lester walks away from the game as one of the most decorated pitchers of the 21st century. He was a five-time All-Star pitcher for two different teams.
During his time with the Boston Red Sox, he took home two World Series titles and pitched a no-hitter. Then, he added another World Series ring with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
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