Jon Lester on Pulling Starters: 'You Pay Your Studs To Be Studs'
Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is not a fan of pulling starters early, he told CBS Sports Radio on Thursday.
He was confused why the Dodgers Rich Hill was pulled after just four innings Wednesday, after allowing one run on three hits. Hill threw 60 pitches — 42 were strikes.
Lester said he "absolutely hates it."
“You pay your starting pitchers to be starting pitchers," he told CBS. "You pay your studs to be studs."
Astros Manager A.J. Hinch on Hotel Bar Altercation Reports: 'Fabrications Really Suck'
The Dodgers used eight more pitchers, losing the game 7–6 to the Astros.
"But I just feel like when you ask your bullpen to get nine, 12, 15 outs, there’s a lot of things that can happen,” Lester said. “And you went from a 3-1 game to a 7-6 game. I feel like that’s what happens when you do that. It puts a lot of stress on your bullpen. They have the off day today. I get it on that side of it. But for me, it’s just not baseball. Baseball is your starters go six, seven, eight and then you mix and match and do your things that you need to do from that point forward. That’s my opinion on it.”
Lester went 13–8 this season with a 4.33 ERA and 180 strikeouts.
