John Lackey
FameRank: 6

"John Derran Lackey" is an Americans/American professional baseball starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball draft/drafted him from the Grayson County College in Texas in 1999 Major League Baseball Draft/1999. He made his MLB debut for the Angels in 2002 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title 2002 World Series/that year. He has also played for the Boston Red Sox.

An 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game/All-Star selection in 2007, he led the American League in earned run average and finished third in the Cy Young Award balloting that year. He became a free agent after the 2009 season and signed with the Red Sox. After declining performances his first two seasons in Boston, he missed the 2012 season to recover from elbow surgery. Lackey rebounded in 2013 to help the Red Sox win the 2013 World Series/World Series. He is signed through the 2014 season, with an option for 2015.

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The biggest key today was the guys giving me a cushion. I was able to use more of the plate than usual and guys, fortunately, hit the ball at people.

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We need to win games. This was big for us.

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It hasn't been a season where we can pitch OK to win; we have to pitch well to win, ... We know the potential of this offense. We have a lot of great players who can swing the bats. Some guys haven't had the years they thought they would have, but sometimes you run into some bad luck too.

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I didn't quite get it up enough, ... Looking back, maybe I should have thrown a slider down and away and taken my chances with the next guy. It's tough when every pitch means something.

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Any time you're facing a playoff-caliber team, it's always nice to show well. You never know when you might meet them next.

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[Rodrigo] Lopez pitched well, but we've got to find a way to beat guys like that to get to where we need to be, ... because we'll be facing plenty of them.

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I wouldn't say that, ... You're aware that you need to pitch well to win, but sometimes that can bring out the best in you. I've always enjoyed pitching in big games when the pressure is on. Maybe it's helped me a bit.

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Any time you're playing a playoff-caliber team, it is always good to show well, because you don't know when you'll be seeing them again.

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