John Lackey

Lore & Background

A right-handed pitcher and batter, the Anaheim Angels selected Lackey from Grayson County College in Texas in the 1999 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut with the Angels in 2002 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title that year. After winning more than 100 games with the Angels, Lackey signed with Boston in free agency prior to the 2010 season. Declining performance and elbow injuries in 2011 led him to allow the most earned runs in the American League before missing the next season due to elbow surgery. Lackey rebounded in 2013 to win his second championship. Boston traded him to St. Louis in July 2014, and prior to the 2016 season, he signed with Chicago as a free agent. Lackey earned his third World Series championship in 2016 with the Cubs.

In Their Own Story

The Angel Stadium lights hummed over a late-summer Tuesday, the kind of night when the crowd thins but the pitchers sharpen. Lackey stood on the mound, glove low, eyes tracking the batter's hands. The count was 1-1. He set his foot, and the changeup left his fingers like it was a fastball—then it wasn't. The bat swung through air. The batter stepped out, jaw tight. Lackey didn't celebrate. He just wiped his glove, looked at the catcher's sign, and waited for the next pitch. That was the whole philosophy, compressed into one swing-and-a-miss on a night nobody outside the ballpark would remember. But the Angels' manager, watching from the dugout, exhaled. Seven innings. Maybe eight. The bullpen could rest. The game was still theirs.

Reader's Guide

Known for his intense competitiveness and overall durability, Lackey reached at least 200 innings pitched six times in his career, and in five seasons was in the top ten in games started. With the exception of his rookie season in 2002, he reached at least 10 wins every season of his career. In ten of his 15 seasons, he registered an ERA below 4.00 − once below 3.00 − and four times was in the top ten in ERA. He also twice reached the top ten in both wins and strikeouts. He appeared in ten postseasons overall, recording a career 8–6 record and 3.44 ERA over 144 innings. In 2007 and 2015, he received votes for the Cy Young Award.

Did You Know?

• Lackey became only the second rookie in World Series history to start and win Game 7, the other being Babe Adams of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• On July 29, 2008, Lackey carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, coming within two outs of a no-hitter.
• Lackey was named the Angels' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2000 after posting a combined 15–9 record with a 3.15 ERA across three minor league levels.
• In 2006, Lackey threw a career-high 30 consecutive scoreless innings from July 2 through July 19.