Red Sox Teammates Sad To See Lester Go

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Red Sox said goodbye to Jon Lester on Thursday, sending their lefty ace to Oakland ahead of MLB's trade deadline.

Lester was fan favorite in Boston and beloved in the Red Sox' clubhouse. He was a big-game pitcher and the team knew they could count on him to take the ball every five days, and more times than not, he delivered. Lester won a pair of World Series titles in his nine years in Boston, posting an incredible 2.11 ERA in 13 postseason appearances.  His ERA dips to 0.43 to go with a 3-0 record in World Series games.

Read: Red Sox Trade Lester, Gomes To Oakland For Cespedes

But Lester, along with Jonny Gomes, will try to help the Oakland Athletics for the rest of the 2014 season. Their now-former teammates were sad to see them go on Thursday.

"It's sad to see those guys leave," outfielder Daniel Nava said at his baseball camp in Melrose. "They've been a big part of our success that last year and a half, and you wish them the best because they're like family."

Red Sox DH David Ortiz expressed his feelings on Twitter, wishing Lester the best with his new team but letting him know that "Large Father" would miss him.

In one interested turn in the Twitterverse, ESPN's Bill Simmons sent out the following Tweet:

Thousands have favorited the Tweet, including one Jon Lester.

The lefty has said they he would be open to re-signing with the Red Sox even if he was traded, so we'll see how things go this offseason.

Lester Tweeted about his excitement to join the Athletics, who own a 2.5 game lead over the Angels in the AL West.

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