Jon Lester has a major problem with throwing to first base, but at least the Chicago Cubs ace has a sense of humor about it.
Lester’s problems throwing to first gained a lot of attention after he signed a $155 million contract with the Cubs. He basically stopped trying to hold runners on beginning in 2012, and he has made some embarrassing errors throwing to first on balls in play as well. So when the new collective bargaining agreement was settled on Thursday, Lester took a timely shot at himself.
While my efforts to eliminate pitchers from having to throw to 1B didnt pass, I'm proud of the PA & Owners for coming together on a new CBA!
— Jon Lester (@JLester34) December 1, 2016
The tweet may have been a funny joke, but there’s nothing humorous about Lester’s attempts to throw to first. Cubs fans got their first taste of it in Lester’s second start with the team in 2015, when he sailed a routine pick-off attempt over the first baseman’s head. Not long after that, the left-hander got creative by throwing his entire glove to first to get a runner out. You can see that entertaining video here.
Tough break, Jon. No one can force you to make throws to first, but something tells us it’ll come up again at some point.
