Jon Lester has strong outing in A’s debut

Yesterday Jon Lester pitched his first game for Oakland Athletics versus the Royals. He got plenty of run support from the Oakland offense and pitched seven quality innings that ended with a standing ovation from the home team.

More from MLB

• Braves get dose of bad news on Max Fried as ace nears return
• Shohei Ohtani trade rumors live tracker: Every update so far
• MLB Rumors: Yankees mistake, Cardinals trade package, Cubs choice
• Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline
• After frantic trade day, Kiké Hernandez grateful for second chance with Dodgers

Lester has always been a major component of the Red Sox clubhouse, being a reliable ace and fan-favorite.

The A’s, who currently have the best record in baseball at 67-42, stand to benefit from Lester’s consistency and veteran leadership. He has two world series rings and a 6-4 postseason record, giving the A’s more options come October. Jon Lester inspired millions with his diagnosis and comeback from lymphoma, culminating in his no-hitter in 2008.

Oakland has a great opportunity this year to make a deep run in the Playoffs. We’ll see if Billy Beane’s managerial style, which became immortalized in the film Money Ball, will finally produce a World Series champion in Oakland. Small market sports executives everywhere will surely be pulling for the A’s and Beane this postseason.

Lester adds another option to the strong rotation the A’s already have with Scott Kazmir, Jason Hammel, Jeff Samardzija, and Sonny Gray. Kazmir and Gray have been the most impressive options this season, boasting 12-3 and 12-4 records, respectively.

Do you think the A’s will win the world series this year? Leave a comment below.