Lester, who will be the Cubs’ opening day starter, struck out Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce in two innings against the Reds. He allowed one hit, to Chris Dominguez in the second, but ended his outing with an inning-ending double play. Despite his performance, the Cubs fell 5-2.
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“It was all right,” Lester told reporters, according to The Associated Press (via The New York Times). “Tempo was good, I felt good about that. Just ball was up a little bit for me. I threw a couple good cutters, but like I said, first one, got some jitters, amped up and all that stuff. But got some stuff done in the bullpen as far as fixing that. Like I said, now it’s time to build off that.”
Lester joined the Cubs in the offseason as a free agent, signing a six-year, $155 million contract. His decision came down to the Cubs and the Red Sox, the team that drafted him and eventually traded him to the A’s last July.
The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, and fans are hopeful Lester can help bring that long-awaited championship. Lester sported the No. 34 jersey, the number worn by former Cubs star pitcher Kerry Wood, the 1998 National League Rookie of the Year.
