What years did Jon Lester play?

Jon Lester played in Major League Baseball from 2006 to 2021.

Was Jon Lester a pitcher?

Yes. Jon Lester pitched in the major leagues, recording 200 wins and 2488 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Jon Lester hit?

Jon Lester hit 4 career home runs with 42 hits.

What teams did Jon Lester play for?

Jon Lester played for 5 teams: the Boston Red Sox (2006–2014), the Oakland Athletics (2014), the Chicago Cubs (2015–2020), the Washington Nationals (2021), and the St. Louis Cardinals (2021).

Did Jon Lester win a Cy Young Award?

No. Jon Lester did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Jon Lester win?

Jon Lester was selected to 5 All-Star Games.

What were Jon Lester's career stats?

In 452 games, Jon Lester went 200-117 with a 3.66 ERA, 2,488 strikeouts, and 2,740.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 42 hits and 4 home runs.

What was Jon Lester's salary?

Jon Lester's last recorded salary was $25,000,000, in 2016. His highest recorded salary was $25,000,000, in 2016, and his lowest was $384,000, in 2007. The Salary History table lists each season from 2007 to 2016.

What position did Jon Lester play?

Jon Lester played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Jon Lester and how much did he weigh?

Jon Lester was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 249 pounds.

What was Jon Lester's career ERA?

Jon Lester finished with a 3.66 career ERA, going 200-117 with 2,488 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Jon Lester have?

Jon Lester recorded 2,488 career strikeouts.

Is Jon Lester in the Hall of Fame?

No. Jon Lester has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jon Lester

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2006-2021)

Jon Lester was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2006 to 2021 for 5 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 16 seasons. Across 452 career appearances, he went 200-117 with a 3.66 ERA and 2,488 strikeouts. He also batted .115 with 4 home runs. Jon Lester was a 5-time All-Star, an NLCS MVP, and a Babe Ruth Award. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 26548.5.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 17, 2026

W–L 200–117

ERA 3.66

WHIP 1.28

SO 2,488

Pitcher PIV 26548.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'4" / 249 lb
Born: 1/7/1984 in Tacoma, WA, USA
MLB Debut: 2006-06-10
Last Game: 2021-10-02
Awards: 5× All-Star · NLCS MVP · Babe Ruth Award

Full name: Jonathan Tyler Lester

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Jon Lester — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
200	117	452	451	15	4	0	2740.0	2,610	1,114	294	892	2,488	3.66	26548.5

Career ERA 3.66 vs. league average 4.19 across their career seasons — 12.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jon Lester Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
2006	BOS	AL	7	2	15	15	0	0	81.1	91	43	43	60	4.76	4.53 (-5%)	-68.8
2007	BOS	AL	4	0	12	11	0	0	63.0	61	32	31	50	4.57	4.47 (-2%)	-1207.3
2008	BOS	AL	16	6	33	33	2	2	210.1	202	75	66	152	3.21	4.32 (+26%)	3773.3
2009	BOS	AL	15	8	32	32	2	0	203.1	186	77	64	225	3.41	4.32 (+21%)	6199.4
2010	BOS	AL	19	9	32	32	2	0	208.0	167	75	83	225	3.25	4.08 (+20%)	5139.9
2011	BOS	AL	15	9	31	31	0	0	191.2	166	74	75	182	3.47	3.94 (+12%)	565.6
2012	BOS	AL	9	14	33	33	3	0	205.1	216	110	68	166	4.82	4.01 (-20%)	-502.8
2013	BOS	AL	15	8	33	33	1	1	213.1	209	89	67	177	3.75	3.87 (+3%)	1550.9
2014	BOS	AL	10	7	21	21	0	0	143.0	128	40	32	149	2.52	3.74 (+33%)	4117.7
2014	OAK	AL	6	4	11	11	1	1	76.2	66	20	16	71	2.35	3.74 (+37%)	1184.5
2015	CHN	NL	11	12	32	32	1	0	205.0	183	76	47	207	3.34	3.96 (+16%)	5568.3
2016	CHN	NL	19	5	32	32	2	0	202.2	154	55	52	197	2.44	4.19 (+42%)	4126.4
2017	CHN	NL	13	8	32	32	1	0	180.2	179	87	60	180	4.33	4.36 (+1%)	1215.2
2018	CHN	NL	18	6	32	32	0	0	181.2	174	67	64	149	3.32	4.15 (+20%)	-1111.8
2019	CHN	NL	13	10	31	31	0	0	171.2	205	85	52	165	4.46	4.51 (+1%)	1103.0
2020	CHN	NL	3	3	12	12	0	0	61.0	64	35	17	42	5.16	4.45 (-16%)	-1050.7
2021	WAS	NL	3	5	16	16	0	0	75.1	91	42	29	51	5.02	4.27 (-18%)	-2186.8
2021	SLN	NL	4	1	12	12	0	0	66.0	68	32	26	40	4.36	4.27 (-2%)	-1867.4
Career · 18 seasons			200	117	452	451	15	4	2,740.0	2,610	1,114	892	2,488	3.66	—	26,549

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Jon Lester — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
458	366	27	42	10	0	4	31	1	21	162	.115	.162	.175	.337	-2,402

Career AVG .115 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 55.2% below league average.

Career OBP .162 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 50.0% below league average.

Career SLG .175 vs. league average .412 across their career seasons — 57.6% below league average.

Career OPS .337 vs. league average .736 across their career seasons — 54.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jon Lester Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
2006	BOS	AL	15	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2007	BOS	AL	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2008	BOS	AL	33	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2009	BOS	AL	32	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2010	BOS	AL	32	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2011	BOS	AL	31	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2012	BOS	AL	33	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2013	BOS	AL	33	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2014	BOS	AL	21	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2014	OAK	AL	11	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2015	CHN	NL	32	62	6	4	0	0	0	0	3	30	.065	.254 (-75%)	.316 (-66%)	.404 (-84%)	.721 (-76%)	-743.5
2016	CHN	NL	33	59	3	6	3	0	6	0	6	18	.102	.255 (-60%)	.321 (-43%)	.417 (-63%)	.738 (-54%)	-521.6
2017	CHN	NL	32	54	5	8	3	1	6	1	4	26	.148	.254 (-42%)	.324 (-37%)	.425 (-39%)	.750 (-38%)	-359.9
2018	CHN	NL	34	59	4	7	0	1	9	0	0	22	.119	.247 (-52%)	.318 (-63%)	.409 (-59%)	.727 (-60%)	-569.4
2019	CHN	NL	32	48	6	9	2	1	6	0	5	20	.188	—	—	—	—	-207.9
2020	CHN	NL	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2021	WAS	NL	18	28	3	5	0	1	3	0	0	13	.179	—	—	—	—	0.0
2021	SLN	NL	12	20	0	3	2	0	0	0	2	11	.150	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 18 seasons			458	366	27	42	10	4	31	1	21	162	.115	—	—	—	—	-2,402

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Jon Lester — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
26	21	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	11	.048

Playoff Batting by Year

Jon Lester — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	H	BB	SO	AVG
2018	NLWC	CHN	1	1	0	0	1	.000
2017	NLCS	CHN	1	2	1	0	1	.500
2017	NLDS2	CHN	2	2	0	0	1	.000
2016	NLCS	CHN	2	3	0	2	0	.000
2016	NLDS1	CHN	1	2	0	0	2	.000
2016	WS	CHN	3	2	0	0	2	.000
2015	NLCS	CHN	1	2	0	0	2	.000
2015	NLDS1	CHN	1	2	0	0	0	.000
2014	ALWC	OAK	1	0	0	0	0	.000
2013	ALCS	BOS	2	0	0	0	0	.000
2013	ALDS1	BOS	1	0	0	0	0	.000
2013	WS	BOS	2	3	0	0	1	.000
2009	ALDS2	BOS	1	0	0	0	0	.000
2008	ALCS	BOS	2	0	0	0	0	.000
2008	ALDS1	BOS	2	0	0	0	0	.000
2007	ALCS	BOS	2	0	0	0	0	.000
2007	WS	BOS	1	2	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Jon Lester — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
9	7	26	22	0	154.0	117	43	40	133	2.51

Playoff Pitching by Year

Jon Lester — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2018	NLWC	CHN	0	0	1	1	6.0	4	1	1	9	1.50
2017	NLCS	CHN	0	0	1	1	4.2	3	1	5	2	1.93
2017	NLDS2	CHN	0	0	2	1	9.2	3	2	3	5	1.86
2016	NLCS	CHN	1	0	2	2	13.0	9	2	2	9	1.38
2016	NLDS1	CHN	1	0	1	1	8.0	5	0	0	5	0.00
2016	WS	CHN	1	1	3	2	14.2	13	6	4	16	3.68
2015	NLCS	CHN	0	1	1	1	6.2	8	4	1	5	5.40
2015	NLDS1	CHN	0	1	1	1	7.1	5	3	1	9	3.68
2014	ALWC	OAK	0	0	1	1	7.1	8	6	2	5	7.36
2013	ALCS	BOS	1	1	2	2	11.2	13	3	4	7	2.31
2013	ALDS1	BOS	1	0	1	1	7.2	3	2	3	7	2.35
2013	WS	BOS	2	0	2	2	15.1	9	1	1	15	0.59
2009	ALDS2	BOS	0	1	1	1	6.0	4	3	4	5	4.50
2008	ALCS	BOS	0	2	2	2	12.2	14	7	2	15	4.97
2008	ALDS1	BOS	1	0	2	2	14.0	10	0	3	11	0.00
2007	ALCS	BOS	0	0	2	0	3.2	3	2	1	5	4.91
2007	WS	BOS	1	0	1	1	5.2	3	0	3	3	0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (910 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Jon Lester — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	230	177	18	21	4	17	.119
Away	228	189	9	21	0	14	.111

Pitching — Home / Away

Jon Lester — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	227	1382.0	1343	559	439	1254	3.64
Away	225	1358.0	1267	555	453	1234	3.68

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jon Lester — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	H	2B	BB	SO
2021-10-02	STL	CHC	L	1	0	0	1	1
2021-09-25	STL	CHC	W	2	0	0	0	1
2021-09-20	STL	MIL	W	2	0	0	0	1
2021-09-15	STL	NYN	W	3	1	1	0	2
2021-09-10	STL	CIN	L	2	0	0	0	2
2021-09-05	STL	MIL	L	2	0	0	1	1
2021-08-30	STL	CIN	W	3	1	0	0	1
2021-08-25	STL	DET	W	1	0	0	0	1
2021-08-19	STL	MIL	W	1	0	0	0	1
2021-08-14	STL	KCR	W	0	0	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jon Lester — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2021-10-02	STL	CHC	—	5.0	6	4	4	4	4	1
2021-09-25	STL	CHC	—	5.0	8	4	3	3	6	0
2021-09-20	STL	MIL	W	6.0	3	2	2	0	2	2
2021-09-15	STL	NYN	W	6.0	6	3	2	0	7	2
2021-09-10	STL	CIN	—	7.0	3	2	2	4	2	2
2021-09-05	STL	MIL	—	5.1	6	1	1	2	2	1
2021-08-30	STL	CIN	W	6.1	1	1	1	2	5	1
2021-08-25	STL	DET	—	5.0	7	1	1	2	4	0
2021-08-19	STL	MIL	—	4.1	6	4	4	3	0	0
2021-08-14	STL	KCR	W	5.2	7	1	1	2	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jon Lester — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	452	451	147	266	20	18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jon Lester — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2006	BOS	P	15	15	0	11	0	0
2007	BOS	P	12	11	6	4	1	0
2008	BOS	P	33	33	19	21	2	3
2009	BOS	P	32	32	7	24	2	1
2010	BOS	P	32	32	5	35	3	2
2011	BOS	P	31	31	9	19	1	2
2012	BOS	P	33	33	14	21	2	3
2013	BOS	P	33	33	12	18	2	1
2014	BOS	P	21	21	4	12	2	1
2014	OAK	P	11	11	4	4	0	0
2015	CHN	P	32	32	10	17	3	1
2016	CHN	P	32	32	18	17	0	1
2017	CHN	P	32	32	14	23	0	1
2018	CHN	P	32	32	9	14	0	0
2019	CHN	P	31	31	5	5	1	1
2020	CHN	P	12	12	2	4	1	0
2021	WAS	P	16	16	5	10	0	1
2021	SLN	P	12	12	4	7	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jon Lester Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	452

Awards & Honors

Jon Lester — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
2018	Pitcher of the Month	June
2016	Babe Ruth Award
2016	NLCS MVP	Co-MVP
2016	Pitcher of the Month	June
2016	Pitcher of the Month	September
2016	Player of the Week	Week of 2016-06-11
2014	Player of the Week	Week of 2014-09-14
2010	Pitcher of the Month	May
2008	Hutch Award
2008	Pitcher of the Month	July
2008	Pitcher of the Month	September
2008	Player of the Week	Week of 2008-05-24
2008	This Year in Baseball Performance of the Year	MLB.com GIBBY

Salary History

Jon Lester's recorded salaries total $88,555,500 over 10 seasons, 2007 to 2016. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Lester's career ran from 2006 to 2021. His seasons after 2016 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 2006.

Jon Lester — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2016	CHN	NL	$25,000,000
2015	CHN	NL	$20,000,000
2014	BOS	AL	$13,000,000
2013	BOS	AL	$11,625,000
2012	BOS	AL	$7,625,000
2011	BOS	AL	$5,750,000
2010	BOS	AL	$3,750,000
2009	BOS	AL	$1,000,000
2008	BOS	AL	$421,500
2007	BOS	AL	$384,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$88,555,500

Award Voting History

Jon Lester — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
2018	Cy Young Award	NL	9th	2.0	210	0
2016	Cy Young Award	NL	2nd	102.0	210	1
2014	Cy Young Award	AL	4th	46.0	210	0
2010	Cy Young Award	AL	4th	33.0	196	0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Jon Lester (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Jon Lester

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Jon Lester: the record in brief

Jon Lester's major league career runs from a debut on June 10, 2006 to a final game on October 2, 2021. Lester played for the Boston Red Sox (2006 through 2014), the Oakland Athletics (2014), the Chicago Cubs (2015 to 2020), the Washington Nationals (2021), and the St. Louis Cardinals (2021). Listed as a pitcher, Lester batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 4 inches and 249 pounds. Lester was born on January 7, 1984, in Tacoma, WA, USA. The given name on file is Jonathan Tyler Lester.

Lester's career pitching line is 200 wins, 117 losses and a 3.66 ERA over 452 appearances. Lester had 2,488 strikeouts and 15 complete games. The leagues Lester pitched in allowed 4.19 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 12.6% better than average. The best win total was 19, in 2010. Lester struck out 225 batters in 2009, a career high. 2016 was Lester's sharpest full season, a 2.44 ERA against the league's 4.19.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jon Lester

What years did Jon Lester play?: Jon Lester played in Major League Baseball from 2006 to 2021.
Was Jon Lester a pitcher?: Yes. Jon Lester pitched in the major leagues, recording 200 wins and 2488 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jon Lester hit?: Jon Lester hit 4 career home runs with 42 hits.
What teams did Jon Lester play for?: Jon Lester played for 5 teams: the Boston Red Sox (2006–2014), the Oakland Athletics (2014), the Chicago Cubs (2015–2020), the Washington Nationals (2021), and the St. Louis Cardinals (2021).
Did Jon Lester win a Cy Young Award?: No. Jon Lester did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Jon Lester win?: Jon Lester was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
What were Jon Lester's career stats?: In 452 games, Jon Lester went 200-117 with a 3.66 ERA, 2,488 strikeouts, and 2,740.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 42 hits and 4 home runs.
How much did Jon Lester earn in his career?: Jon Lester's recorded salaries total $88,555,500 over 10 seasons, 2007 to 2016. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Lester's career ran from 2006 to 2021. His seasons after 2016 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 2006.
What was Jon Lester's salary?: Jon Lester's last recorded salary was $25,000,000, in 2016. His highest recorded salary was $25,000,000, in 2016, and his lowest was $384,000, in 2007. The Salary History table lists each season from 2007 to 2016.
What position did Jon Lester play?: Jon Lester played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jon Lester and how much did he weigh?: Jon Lester was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 249 pounds.
What was Jon Lester's career ERA?: Jon Lester finished with a 3.66 career ERA, going 200-117 with 2,488 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Jon Lester have?: Jon Lester recorded 2,488 career strikeouts.
Is Jon Lester in the Hall of Fame?: No. Jon Lester has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.