ALCS Game Three postgame notes: Sox still high on Lester
10:19 PM Mon, Oct 13, 2008 | Permalink
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BY JOE McDONALD BOSTON -- Even though Jon Lester did not pitch like his usual-dominant self in Game Three of the ALCS Monday night at Fenway Park, the Red Sox expect great things from him for a very long time. Lester's transformation from the pitcher he was to the pitcher he became in 2008 began when he was the game-winning pitcher in Game Four of the World Series against the Rockies last October. "It helped," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "For any young kid, any experience you have during the season, and when he shows up in spring training it's amazing when they show up bigger and stronger. . . I'm sure (World Series) had a great effect on him over the winter. It was very helpful. The work he has done, as he gets removed from what he went through, he's becoming a better pitcher." Recently Francona and his staff were viewing some game footage for advance-scouting purposes, and the Lester they were watching didn't even look like him. In fact, Lester has gained almost 20 pounds during the season as he continues to regain his pre-cancer frame. "He's gotten so much bigger and stronger," said Francona. "That's not easy to do during the season. You watch, come spring training he's going to get stronger. He's still at that point in his life where he's on this [upward path]. He's still young." 
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