(670 The Score) Nationals left-hander Jon Lester didn’t get the triumphant return to Wrigley Field on Monday evening that he envisioned, but he did get a big ovation and much appreciation from an adoring Cubs fan base.
Lester took the loss while going 5 1/3 innings and allowing five runs in the Nationals’ 7-3 setback to the Cubs, for whom Lester starred from 2015-’20 and helped lead to a long-awaited World Series title in 2016. It was Lester’s first game against his former team since the Cubs let him walk in free agency last offseason.
The cheers that Lester received were long overdue, as he didn’t get to go out in style in 2020 as fans weren’t in the stands amid the pandemic. After getting an ovation after throwing his warmup pitches, Lester removed his cap in recognition of his gratitude for the fans. He did so again before his first at-bat of the evening.
“At this point of your career, you try to soak up as much as you can,” Lester said of the ovation he received. "At the same time, you have to walk that line of still competing and trying to win a baseball game. It was awesome. It was nice and a great atmosphere here. You are still trying to enjoy the moment and still win."
Three old Cubs teammates did most of the damage against Lester, as Jason Heyward, Willson Contreras and Javier Baez homered off him.
“This was definitely different,” Lester said.
"After halfway through my lineup, I got through some of those things. I finally settled down, but it different. You are pitching against your buddies. It's guys you ground with for a lot of years. It was just a different mindset.”
Lester, 37, joined the Nationals on a one-year, $5-million deal last winter after the Cubs offered him $2.5 million, per sources. That brought an end to his storied Cubs tenure, which featured him posting a 3.64 ERA in 171 starts across six seasons. Lester also rose to the occasion in the playoffs, as he was named the co-MVP of the 2016 National League Championship Series and came up big in the World Series.
Lester is grateful to now get a few days to see friends and experience Chicago again as the Nationals and Cubs continue their four-game series.
“It is nice to come back,” he said. "I was just happy to be here and see the fans in the seats. It may be the last time here, it may not. It was not the outcome I wanted, but we move on to tomorrow.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.