I have no problem with Jon Lester. I think the guy's a terrific pitcher, a solid teammate and I like to watch him dominate, except for when he plays against the New York Yankees. That being said, I was always fascinated with this crap about him not being able to throw to bases during his pitching appearances. I think it's JV to make an excuse that he "can't" and that when he's on the mound and a guy gets on base... how is it possible for a professional athlete to just NOT try and pick off a dude and try to get the upper hand on the competition? Why? And why is he allowed to skate?
I think it's even more pathetic that sports commentators don't even rip the guy! These announcers, Joe Buck, the others just sit there and say, "yeah, Lester just doesn't want to throw to first because he can't." And then... they move on. No conversation about it.
(David Banks/AP)
No suggestion like... "Why doesn't Lester try to learn? I mean, he's a major league pitcher." You know what I mean?
Photo: NJ.com
Well, I just caught a piece by the New York Post about Dellin Betances and I wanted to share it with you. It's nuggets like this that really makes me root for our New York Yankees...
"Having experienced throwing woes to bases other than home plate, Betances huddled with pitching coach Larry Rothschild in Tampa last month to work on becoming a better fielder.
(Kathy Willens/AP)
'We pretty much worked on [pitchers’ fielding practice],’ Betances told The Post via a Saturday phone call from the Dominican Republic. 'It was mutual. He wanted a couple of days and it helped me. I feel good right now. He gave me drills to do while I am in the DR. I will continue to work on it in spring training.’"
Gotta love that. And so, I have to ask... is Lester gonna try to improve in this game? Or is he just too good to do bitch work?
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