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How a veteran catcher unlocked the ace within Jon Lester

Anthony Gruppuso / USA TODAY Sports

It’s 3:45 p.m. and Jon Lester is back to work. He’s in the gym, working out beneath the bleachers of Toronto's once-futuristic Rogers Centre.

Because he pitched the previous day, he’s exempt from throwing and stretching on the field with the rest of the pitching staff. Because he pitched so well - eight innings of shutout ball against the Royals at Fenway Park - he might be exempt from working so hard.

A few moments later, he’s riding the stationary bike, earphones in as he racks up the miles. Next he’s sitting down at a computer beside the video room, looking over hitters or past performances or some combination of the two.

It isn’t the intractable contract discussions, ongoing with the only club he’s ever known, nor is it the lost season for the defending World Series champs; it’s just Lester doing what Lester now does - he does the work.

As you get older, you don’t have the same stuff as when you were younger and you could just go out there and be young and dumb, chuck it and see what happens.

Lester isn’t the same pitcher he was in the past. Currently putting together the best season of his career, it didn’t appear possible even 12 months ago, when Lester struggled through a particularly rough stretch.

It was then a partnership with catcher David Ross began, producing tremendous results for the battery who seem to understand each other so keenly.

There are many factors that make Ross and Lester such a strong team. Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs has made particular mention of Ross’ ability to frame borderline pitches, snaring extra strikes for the big lefty.

But it takes more than just an adept pitch-framer to post the kind of numbers Lester boasts this season. Walking fewer hitters than ever before with his best strikeout rate in nearly five years, Lester claims a 2.50 ERA and a 2.59 FIP, better than all but three pitchers in baseball.

Ross and Lester come together to formulate better plans to thwart opposing lineups and the early returns are good. The catcher explains that most game planning sessions revolve around making best use of what he does well.  

We always stick with Jon’s strengths but sometimes his strengths’ matchup with the hitter’s, so we talk about how we want to attack and use Jon’s strengths to our advantage.

Lester admits all the game plans in the world weren’t going to help him when he was really struggling.

I didn’t have the command to say ‘I’m going to pitch this guy away and throw this off of that.’ Now, I’m at a stage of my career when I have the command and I have that feel so we can go into a game with a scouting report.

It’s a nice luxury to have, the ability to formulate a plan and the execution to stick with it. The command that made it all possible for Lester isn’t possible without a change in mentality, a recognition of who he is as a pitcher and what makes him work.

Everything comes off your fastball so if you’re not a) locate it b) throw it consistently, your other stuff doesn’t matter.  Last year we got finally where it was okay: screw everything else, we’re going to challenge guys.

Once we started doing that, we noticed my curveball that dropped on the plate, they were swinging at it because they had to commit to my fastball and my cutter.

For faith in the fastball opens up better opportunities for Lester and Ross, with the catcher praising his pitcher’s ability to use both sides of the plate as well and move the ball around. That kind of command tends to earn a favorable view from the boys in blue, as well.

The umpires understand he’s going to throw strikes and when you’re all over the place, it’s tougher to give the borderline pitch. When a guys hitting his same spot over and over again, whether it’s an inch or so on or off the plate, you get the benefit of the doubt when you’re throwing strikes.

Lester admires his battery mate’s work behind the plate, from framing to game calling and beyond.

You don’t see a lot of guys back there really stick pitches and really try to work hard for strikes. Both Molinas are incredible at stealing strikes, Rossy does a great job back there.

What I like the most about Rossy and Vasquey (young Red Sox catcher Christian Vasquez) is they never take pitches off. They make sure their pitcher has a good start. 0-4 or 4-4, they’re back there grinding and trying to give you the best chance to win the game.

More than just convincing the umps and grinding out plate appearances, Lester admits that bearing down and making pitches to the right spot makes batters think, as well.

If you’re throwing “ball one, ball two, strike” [gestures widely] ball three, strike” you’re all over the place, they don’t have to commit to one area. They can zone it up and that’s when we get hurt. But when you’re able to consistently fire that heater down and away, they have to commit to get to that pitch so you can throw breaking ball after that.

Once we get guys engaged and get guys going, the curveball becomes more effective. You can drop the curve in for a strike or you can bounce it for a swing-and-miss. There’s just so much more you can do. 

Having all Lester’s weapons at his disposal makes calling the game a treat for Ross. The two create gameplans either for individual players or for a team as a whole. But nothing is ever set in stone.

Sunday night against the Royals, Lester and Ross knew what they wanted to do against KC first baseman Eric Hosmer. Ross explains that they felt front door cutters were a bad matchup against Hosmer. The realities of the game presented an opportunity.

After fouling off three of the first four pitches on the outside part of the plate, Lester saw an opportunity to bust Hosmer inside. He shook off Ross’ signs until he got the inside cutter and executed a great pitch.

Courtesy of MLB.com

This one great pitch provides a nice snapshot of this fruitful relationship. Working their plan, making adjustments, Lester makes a nice pitch and Ross squeezes it for the punchout.

It’s a battle-hardened pairing, forged in the heat of a World Series triumph. Lester and Ross share a genuine affinity for one another and, most importantly, they make a great team on the field.

Both players are potentially free agents at the end of the season, leaving the Red Sox with some tough choices. Can they afford to break up such a successful duo? So far, the results are hard to argue.

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