John Lackey – Settling in Right at Home in Boston & Fenway Park
Red Sox starter John Lackey is looking forward to playing in an environment where every game counts. Let’s just hope he is up to the task after signing the lucrative 5-year, $82.5 million deal in mid-December.
While eating at a solid Italian restaurant in Boston’s famous North End, Lackey got a “taste” of what it’s like to be a super star on the Red Sox squad. “I had some people stand up and clap for me when I was walking out. That was pretty cool. I’ve had a lot of ‘Welcome to town’ and a lot of people just saying ‘Good luck’. It’s been fun.”
Lackey has thrived pitching in “laid back” Southern California for his entire major league career – 8 years with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. From 2003 through 2007, Lackey made 164 starts, winning 70 games. Lackey’s best year was in 2007 when he went 19-9 with a 3.01 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Lackey has a career 3.81 ERA and a career 1.31 WHIP.
But now he is in Boston and he’ll be facing AL East opponents – known for their “superior” offensive lineups. Lackey will also have to pitch in Fenway Park. Up until he took a no-hitter into the 9th inning at Fenway Park back in July 2008, Fenway Park had been a disaster zone for Lackey. He always pitched poorly there and it seemed like it was a bit of a mental thing. But since that one outing, Lackey has pitched better there and is excited to call Fenway his home: “It’s going to be different, for sure. Throughout the league, the AL East is recognized as the best division in baseball, for sure. But it’s going to bring out the best in me. Any home game over here is going to be like a playoff game – it’s going to be a lot of fun… If you make good pitches, you’re going to be fine anywhere. I’m not going to be successful every time out there, but the effort will be there every time, I promise you that… I would’ve worked hard regardless of who’s here — but when you have other good starting pitchers in your rotation, there can be a friendly, competitive thing going on in the rotation that can do nothing but improve you and make you better.”
Gotta love the intensity and the attitude. Sounds like he will fit right in there with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. If the Red Sox can find a way to lock up Beckett long-term, they are going to have one of the best rotations in baseball for a very long time…
