After a gritty veteran performance late in the year, effectively pitching the Chicago Cubs back to the postseason, John Lackey seemed to be headed off into the sunset. His teammate and friend Jon Lester toasted him in the visitor’s clubhouse in St. Louis, all but sealing the deal when it came to his future.
“Here is to one hell of a career,” Lester told his teammates after the game.
Then came October. Lackey found himself on the wrong side of a big moment, when Justin Turner took him deep for a Dodgers walk-off win – coming on the anniversary of Kirk Gibson‘s emotional and iconic homer.