May 27--The Chicago Cubs signed Jon Lester to a six-year, $155 million contract last December for his prized left arm and not for his bat.
But Lester is on the verge of setting a dubious record Wednesday night against ace Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.
Should Lester fail to get a hit in his first official at-bat, he would set a major league record for most at-bats without a hit to start a major league career. Lester and Joey Hamilton of the San Diego Padres (1994-95) currently share the record with 57 at-bats without a hit to start a career.
According to STATS LLC, Lester needs two plate appearances without a hit to tie Hamilton for most plate appearances (66) without a hit to start a career.
Lester ranks second to Hamilton, followed by Ron Herbel (63), Luke Walker (56), Don Carman (53) and Steve Stone (50), the White Sox's television analyst who pitched for the Cubs and White Sox but started his career with the San Francisco Giants and finished his career with a .100 batting average.
Ironically, Rick Barnhart, Lester's coach at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, Wash., said in December that Lester was a terrific hitter and center fielder when he wasn't pitching.
