Jon Lester Can Add 'Clutch Hitter' To His Career Resume
BOSTON (CBS) -- It was an all hands on deck situation for the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night.
First, manager Joe Maddon moved pitcher Travis Wood out to left field with the plan of bringing the lefty relief pitcher back in to pitch later in the game. It turned out to look like a master stroke when Wood made a very nice play to rob extra bases from Franklin Gutierrez.
A pitcher in left field, that won't work ou----- pic.twitter.com/5oxoDMZmAG
— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2016
But the unorthodox use of pitchers didn't end there, as Maddon used Jon Lester as a pinch hitter for pitcher Hector Rondon, who had just pitched two innings.
With the winning run on third base in the bottom of the 12th inning, Lester -- a career .051 hitter who didn't record a Major League hit in his entire time with the Red Sox and A's (0-for-36) and was just 3-for-40 on the year in 2016 -- worked the count to 2-1.
On a 2-2 pitch, Lester squared to bunt. The squeeze was on. Lester got the bunt down in fair territory, Jason Heyward came flying in, and the Cubs walked off with a victory.
The sun was just simply shining on Joe Maddon on Sunday.
Lester described his clutch hitting moment as best he could after the win.
"I blacked out for a minute," he said.