Red Sox Pitcher Jon Lester Wins 2008 Hutch Award(R)
SEATTLE, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Left-handed pitcher Jon Lester, who came
back from an off-season battle with cancer to pitch the winning game for the
Boston Red Sox in the 2007 World Series, will receive the 2008 Hutch Award.
The award is given annually to a Major League Baseball player who best
exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred
Hutchinson, both on and off the field.
The 24-year-old Tacoma, Wash. native made his Major League Baseball debut
in June 2006. Lester ended the 2008 season with a 16-6 win/loss record and a
3.21 ERA with 152 strikeouts.
"This is a tremendous honor for me and my family to have been selected for
the Hutch Award," Lester said. "I'm humbled to know that legends such as
Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax and Lou Brock have won this award in the past."
Lester was diagnosed with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma in August 2006.
Referred to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the treatment arm of Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and
recuperated at his parents' home in Puyallup, Wash. In December 2006, doctors
determined he was cancer-free and in February 2007 he joined the Red Sox for
spring training in Florida. After some work in the minors, he returned to the
major league mound against the Cleveland Indians on July 23, 2007. Boston won
the game, 6-2.
"Congratulations to Jon Lester on the Hutch Award. Jon handled his
adversity with grace and dignity," said Red Sox Manager Terry Francona. "He is
an inspiration to us all, on top of just being a really good kid."
Lester's experience with cancer has affected his life off the field and
has influenced his fans. For example, he has taken time to meet young fans
undergoing cancer treatment, and a group of Boston-area college students have
started The Lester Project, which raises money for the Jimmy Fund, a
cancer-research charity associated with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The Red Sox honored Lester with its 2007 Tony Conigliaro Award and the
American League named him Player of the Week (May 19-25, 2008) and Pitcher of
the Month for both July and September 2008.
Lester will visit children at the Hutchinson Center's Hutch School and
receive his award at the annual Hutch Award Luncheon on Jan. 21 at Safeco
Field in Seattle. Legendary pitcher and baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver will
be the luncheon's keynote speaker.
Funds raised through the Hutch Award Luncheon benefit The Gregory Fund(R)
for early cancer-detection research at the Hutchinson Center. The Gregory Fund
was established in 2003 as a collaboration of the Hutchinson Center and The
Moyer Foundation, founded by major-league pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife,
Karen.
The Hutchinson Center was founded by Fred's brother Bill, a prominent
Seattle surgeon, after Fred died of cancer at age 45. The Hutch Award was
established in 1965 and was first given to Mickey Mantle. Other Hutch Award
winners have included Moyer, 2007 recipient Mike Sweeney, Mark Loretta, Craig
Biggio, Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Omar Vizquel, Sandy Koufax and Carl
Yastrzemski. In all, 11 Hall-of-Famers have received the Hutch Award. For more
information about the Hutch Award, including a full list of past recipients,
visit http://www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of
world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose
and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including
three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health,
knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information,
please visit fhcrc.org.
