Jon Lester

It only took two hours and 38 minutes.

Jon Lester tossed a complete game no-hitter, and it was an absolute gem. There was a close call in the fourth inning when Ellsbury made a diving save on a floater to center, but that was really the extent of the drama. Jon Lester was a meast.

Lester threw 130(!) pitches Monday night in a true tour-de-force performance that electrified the Fenway crowd and dusted off memories of long ago. After all, it had been 52 years since a left-handed pitcher threw a no-hitter for the Red Stockings.

Lester wasn’t slowing down as the night wore on, either. He worked quickly and notched 96 on the radar gun in the ninth.

He’s been quite the story since returning to the Red Sox lineup late last year. Not that he was sitting out from a dislocated shoulder or a strained wrist or anything.

Nope. He came back from cancer.

How many stories are more special than that? To return from death’s doorstep and shine brighter than anyone for any one given night is the mark of a warrior. He’s made no excuses and has accepted nothing less than the very best out of himself, life-threatening diseases be damned. Within twelve months, Lester has made the arduous climb all the way up from rock bottom, and now perches himself comfortably atop the highest peak in his sport.

Sort of makes you wonder what you’ve been doing with your life, agreed?

How could we possibly give MAD LOVE to anyone else tonight?