ST. LOUIS — Over the years, there have always been guys that just didn't look quite right in a Cardinals uniform. For folks of a certain age, "St. Louis Cardinal Roger Maris" was probably a shock to the system at first. Will Clark's stellar 51 games with the team in 2000 was also quite the ride. More recently, John Lackey and A.J. Pierzynski donning the birds on the bat was a particularly odd sight.
The 2021 Cardinals have Jon Lester. The same Jon Lester who dominated them in the 2013 World Series with the Red Sox and was a nemesis for years with the Chicago Cubs.
But a deadline deal made him a Cardinal to eat up innings. Now, he's a key contributor in the middle of a postseason race, recapturing some magic and notching impressive personal milestones.
Lester got his 200th career win on Monday night in Milwaukee, allowing two runs in six solid innings of work. It was a milestone Lester and his teammates embraced.
"Obviously it's a nice round number and it looks better than 199," Lester said. "I was brought up in this game that your name is in the scorebox the next day and it's either going to have a W or an L next to it, and hopefully more times than not it's got that W."
"The guy that really reminds me of it (getting to 200) is Harrison (Bader)... I think he was more excited than I was at the end to get to this number. So that was really cool. At the end of the day to see your teammates get excited to you is obviously very rewarding."
And his teammates aren't just excited about Lester's individual record. Lester and the Cardinals are on an absolute tear.
Lester's 200th win was the Cardinals' ninth in a row as they've surged into the second Wild Card spot in the NL.
"I don't think people realize how hard it is to winning streaks over 4, 5, 6 games. They don't happen a lot. Now that we're at nine, hopefully we can keep going. We're playing good teams and playing really good baseball," Lester said. "Hopefully we can continue to get a little more space between us and the next team to where we really don't have to worry about someone trying to catch us and we can focus on the next step come the time."
The veteran has been a large part of that recent success. Excluding his first two starts with the Cardinals, Lester has been a stabilizing force in the rotation. In those eight starts he is 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA in 45 and two-thirds innings.
His overall ERA with the Cardinals in 2021 is 4.02, a full run lower than his ERA in Washington to start the season. Lester said his resurgence has come in part thanks to trusting his new coaches and teammates.
"I think that's buying into the changes I needed to make. I keep talking about it, it's been a constant theme after games and stuff... The game is ever-changing and if you don't make the adjustments you'll be out of it pretty quickly," Lester said. "You guys kind of saw that coming in and I've really been able to buy into those adjustments since I've been here. Obviously having Yadi back there helps that and Mike (Maddux) and the staff here have helped me kind of form a game plan of what we're trying to do. Still going out there you feel uncomfortable because it's not what you've done and you just kind of have to buy in and execute pitches."
And while it still may be a little weird to see Lester excelling in a Cardinals uniform, so far he's fit like a glove. And he's just happy to be a part of a team in the hunt.
"It could be a team anywhere and I'm happy to be a part of a postseason run. I think at the end of the day that's what we all play for is that World Series, and to have an opportunity to go after that World Series is huge," Lester said. "Being on this side, yes has been a little bit different at first. It's been great, the organization is awesome, the guys here are great... It's definitely been a fun experience and I'm glad I got to see this side of it after being on the other side of it for so long."