Lester Excited To Work With Farrell Again
BOSTON (CBS) - Red Sox starter Jon Lester is just one of the many Red Sox players happy to have John Farrell back on the Boston bench.
The Boston left-hander tweeted Sunday morning "Welcome back John!! Can't wait to get back to work!!," and followed that up later in the day by stressing how good it will be to have Farrell back in Boston.
"I think it's a good thing,'' Lester told ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes of Farrell's hiring. "He helped mold me into the pitcher I am, the player I am. My work ethic, the work I do between starts, he really helped mold all of that."
"It will be good to have a familiar face and know what to expect coming into spring training," he added. "Last year we didn't know what to expect. I know John, and I'm excited to get back working with him.''
Roche: Farrell A Solid Choice For Red Sox
Lester and his new manager worked together during Farrell's tenure as Boston's pitching coach between 2007-2010. During that time, Lester went 54-23 with a 3.41 ERA, compared to the 24-23 record with a 4.17 ERA in two seasons without Farrell.
But with Farrell now in charge of everything in Boston, Lester is looking forward to how his new manager rounds out his coaching staff -- particularly who will be his pitching coach for next season.
The Red Sox have had three different pitching coaches over the last two years, and with Lester coming off his worst statistical season (9-14 with a 4.82 ERA), that decision will be among the many important ones Farrell makes.
But Lester is confident Farrell will make the right decision, and compared him to former Red Sox Terry Francona in his approach to the game.
"John is a very meticulous person. That's what made Tito (Francona) so good," said Lester. "You knew he was going to be so prepared going into each game that you knew he would put you in a situation that gave you the best chance to succeed. That's when you end up playing better and bonding together.''
The Red Sox will introduce Farrell as their new manager on Tuesday in a 12pm press conference. They acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend, sending short stop Mike Aviles to Toronto as compensation.
