For hitting Carl Crawford with a breaking pitch during last Thursday’s heated encounter with Tampa Bay, Boston starter Jon Lester was slapped with a five game suspension. Complaining to the Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford, Lester insists “œIt doesn™t add up… I didn™t get thrown out, and I didn™t hit anybody on purpose.
œ(Watson) said, ˜You hit Crawford with a curveball and guys are hitting guys with curveballs now.™ It™s stupid, Lester said. œThey have no idea. (Watson) didn™t watch the video. He doesn™t have a feel for the game. He doesn™t understand baseball.
Lester said he would have appealed the suspension if the Red Sox didn™t have today™s off day, allowing Bartolo Colon to leap-frog Lester in the rotation while pitching on five days™ rest. Lester will now make his next start Wednesday, giving him two extra days™ rest.
œThat™s why I took it and didn™t appeal it, Lester said. œStill, it makes me look bad because it makes it look like I™m saying I did something wrong.
Another aspect of the suspension Lester hasn™t been able to understand is Tampa Bay starter James Shields receiving just one more day than Lester despite igniting the fight by plunking Red Sox batter Coco Crisp.
œIt really is B.S. that I got suspended and Shields, the guy that hit somebody, only gets one more game than me, Lester said. œI didn™t throw any punches, and didn™t hit anybody on purpose. You have to talk to them and find out why.