Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester air mailed a pickoff throw to first, sending the ball into the right field bullpen during Monday night's game against Cincinnati.
Much had been made recently about Lester not having made a single pickoff attempt to first since 2013. That had to change, and it did when Reds batter Zach Cozart reached first in the bottom of the second. Lester's first pickoff attempt was fine and prompted a sarcastic cheer from the home fans at Wrigley Field. However, Lester's next attempt went over first baseman Anthony Rizzo's head by about 10 feet, giving Cozart a free pass to second base. Fortunately, right fielder Jorge Soler bailed out Lester with a fantastic throw to third, tagging out Cozart when he tried to press his luck.
Lester gave up 6 runs on 10 hits in 6 innings. However, Soler bailed him out with his offense as well, going 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs as the Cubs beat the Reds 7-6 in 10 innings.
[MLB]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
