The Lovable Reunion - Jon Lester on SNAPPING at Anthony Rizzo, EPIC Cubs World Series stories, David Ross standing ovation

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd – “The Lovable Reunion: Jon Lester on SNAPPING at Anthony Rizzo, EPIC Cubs World Series stories, David Ross standing ovation”

Date: April 7, 2026
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guests: Jon Lester, Anthony Rizzo, David Ross

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Episode Overview

This episode is a deep dive “lovable reunion” among Chicago Cubs legends Jon Lester (three-time World Series champion), Anthony Rizzo, and David Ross. The trio reminisces about their journey from the Cubs’ dark rebuilding years to their 2016 World Series triumph, sharing behind-the-scenes stories of high-pressure moments, culture-shifting leadership, and personal growth. The conversation blends hilarious and heartfelt moments as they revisit defining games, clubhouse culture, Lester’s leadership, the infamous “snapping” at Rizzo, and the impact of a team that changed the course of Chicago baseball forever.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

Jon Lester Joins the Cubs: The Signing That Changed Everything

• The Decision (04:18–07:25):

  • Lester explains his stressful, emotional free agency after being traded by Boston. He credits Cubs’ Theo Epstein’s vision for Wrigleyville and hiring Joe Maddon for winning him over.
  • Lester’s contract included 25 hours on NetJets—surprised to discover this perk only the next morning.
  • Quote: “Theo can sell ice to an Eskimo... once they hired Joe, it was kind of like, all right, this is real.” — Jon Lester (05:10)

• Recruiting David Ross (09:05–13:01):

  • After signing, Lester lobbies for Ross to be brought in as a backup catcher: "You need a veteran dude that knows his role... there's no 'I'm competing for the starting job.'" (09:28)
  • The now-legendary late night at Bub City, Lester calls Ross, negotiates his deal, Theo signals offers by raising his mug: “He just keeps going, two-five, two-five..." (11:54–13:01)

The Culture Shift: From Bottom-Dwellers to Champions

• Changing the Clubhouse (13:25–17:16):

  • David Ross and Rizzo reflect on the immediate transformation Lester brought: “When you walked in that door, it changed... Now we’re gonna win because you’re a winner." — Ross (13:41)
  • Lester talks about the pressure, accountability, and professionalism learned in Boston. The importance of veterans setting the tone daily.

• Boston Influence and Cancer Connection (17:53–21:34):

  • Emotional recount of Ross meeting Lester in Boston during his cancer fight: “He tells me, ‘On days you feel good, go be a kid.’ And I still send that message to every single kid I talk to.” — David Ross (18:47)
  • Their deep bond, including on-field moments, underpins their chemistry as teammates.

On-Field Routine, Superstition & Leadership

• Lester’s Obsessive Routine (23:36–29:36):
  • Favorite stat: 200 innings thrown in 2016—proof of accountability and reliability.
  • Team laughs about Lester’s superstitions (start-day boxers, pregame drinks), detailed preparation, and example-setting in the weight room after big nights out.
  • “I had two pair (lucky boxers)... One pair I wore so much the crotch got worn out and I actually took them to a tailor.” — Jon Lester (27:39)
  • Commitment to routine started after being thrown into the 2007 World Series at age 22.

The Pickoff Blues – And Overcoming Weakness

• Addressing the Pickoff Issue (31:33–34:21):
  • Lester compares his throwing yips to golfers freezing on chip shots, admits he had to adapt: “If you’re not good at something, get better at something else to basically negate that.” (33:20)
  • Joe Maddon’s support was crucial; the team innovated with holding runners, timing, and smart infield play to cover for this weakness.

2016: Relentless, Unified, and Running Down History

• Hot Start & Unity (40:41–43:02):

  • Reminiscence of the Cubs’ “relentless” 2016 start, Joe Maddon’s focus on expectations and fast starts, and the camaraderie built through off-field dinners, pranks, and karaoke.

• SNAP Moment: Lester on Rizzo (43:14–48:45):

  • Rizzo accidentally calls out the pitching staff in the media; Lester confronts him furiously in the weight room, underscoring clubhouse accountability:
    • “If you ever talk about our pitching staff again, I’ll kill you!” — Jon Lester (45:12)
    • Rizzo: “I’m so vulnerable… John comes in, face beet red, lip quivering...”
    • They hug it out soon after, but the lesson on internal accountability sticks with Rizzo for his career.

• Seattle Comeback and Theo’s Leadership (49:08–53:06):

  • The team faces adversity after a controversial rotation skip, then overcomes a big deficit against Seattle. The comeback brings the team closer.
  • Memorable leadership: Theo Epstein enters the clubhouse and takes accountability for the move.
    • “For him to come down and be like, ‘Hey, that’s on me.’ ... that’s another reason why we’re so special.” — Jon Lester (52:08)

• Pebble Beach & The Legendary Road Trip (53:07–58:10):

  • Epic west coast team road trip to Pebble Beach—private jet, golf, after hours bonding—all covered by Lester’s generosity. Strengthens the players’ brotherhood.

Tough Love, Playoff Pressure & World Series Legends

• Joe Maddon’s Player-Centric Approach (58:10–64:06):

  • The importance of having fun off the field, managing stress, and how Maddon empowered the “prisoners to run the asylum” (player policing).
  • The emotional story of Lester orchestrating Ross’s final curtain call at Wrigley:
    • “No one gives the standing ovation to a backup catcher ... Because of John.” – David Ross (63:59)

• Lester the Big Game Pitcher (64:06–69:00):

  • Discussion on Lester’s postseason mentality, love of pressure, and how playoff atmospheres elevate his focus and intensity: “I loved when it mattered. When those lights come on… now your senses are amped.” — Jon Lester (66:23)
  • Nostalgic moment: Walking out to a packed Wrigley for playoff baseball; “goosebumps” for everyone.

• Defining Games and Little-Known Stories (69:48–82:54):

  • Recollection of clutch postseason moments: Nailing game one of the NLDS, a tight start in Pittsburgh, the epic Cubs-Dodgers NLCS, and the “rally beers” tradition.
  • Cubs’ NLCS win leads to a backyard party with Eddie Vedder serenading the team.

2016 World Series – Inside the Greatest Game

• Game 5 at Wrigley: “I was realistic with myself... I can give you as much as you want next inning, but also, don't put me in there... give that guy a clean inning.” — Jon Lester (86:05)
• Game 7, Rain Delay, and Triumph (88:34–107:58):
  • Jon Lester is told pregame he’ll "bridge to Chappie", lets him calm his nerves.
  • Describes the chaos in the bullpen, and Travis Wood literally blocking Lester from over-throwing to conserve energy. (91:43)
  • Recounts the wild sequences: Rizzo’s throwing error, passed ball, the Rajai Davis HR, and the 17-minute rain delay.
  • Jason Heyward’s now-famous rallying speech.
  • Final outs: detailed breakdown of the Martinez groundout and the whirl of anxiety on the bench.

Aftermath, Parade, and Legacy

• Parade & Celebration Stories (110:27–117:48):

  • Trophy drama: Rizzo sneaks the World Series trophy home, Lester finds out, text exchanges follow (110:56).
  • Parade chaos: Almost getting cleaned off the top of the bus by camera wires, nosebleeds, laughter, and five million raucous fans.
  • “How about this?” – Jon Lester’s only words to a sea of people at Grant Park. (117:00)

• Lasting Impact & Emotional Reflection (118:49–128:15):

  • All three reflect on what the journey meant, the bonds formed, and the lessons gained in leadership and friendship.
  • The importance of both accountability and generosity in establishing a winning culture.
  • Quote: “I didn’t do it because I wanted the story on ESPN... I loved you guys. I showed my love in different ways... I cared about winning. Dude, you play sports to win.” — Jon Lester (123:35)
  • If Lester could tell his younger self anything: “Enjoy it more... relish it more.” (119:11)

• Iconic Sign-off:

  • “Hangovers are temporary. Legends last forever. And for us, winning, we last forever.” — Host Trio (128:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I have rich people who work for me…” — Jon Lester, laughing about contract perks (04:48)
• “Thank God for Farrah” (11:16) – inking Ross’s Cubs contract via a 3 a.m. phone call.
• “If you ever talk about our pitching staff again, I’ll kill you.” — Jon Lester, recalling scolding Rizzo after a media quote (45:12)
• “No one gives the standing ovation to a backup catcher.” — David Ross (63:59)
• “Hangovers are temporary; legends last forever.” — Anthony Rizzo (128:08)

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Key Takeaways & Themes

• The True Cost of Winning: The 2016 Cubs didn’t just acquire talent—they transformed the culture with accountability, brotherhood, and relentless preparation.
• Behind the Curtain: From contract negotiations over beers, to pregame nerves, clubhouse blowups, and healing after conflict—real leadership happens away from the cameras.
• Celebration & Sacrifice: The fun off the field—golf trips, karaoke, dinners—was as important as preparation. Joe Maddon and Theo Epstein’s player-centered approach gets high praise.
• Legacy of Lester: Beyond the stats, Lester’s contribution was setting a new standard for what winning looks and feels like. His blend of “teddy bear” compassion and no-nonsense toughness is cited repeatedly.
• Growth & Gratitude: All three are candid about their evolution as players, leaders, and men—owning mistakes, teaching lessons, and building lifelong bonds.

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Essential Timestamps

• 04:18 – Lester signs with the Cubs, sells the team to Ross
• 13:41 – Discussion on locker room and clubhouse culture change
• 23:36 – Lester discusses routine, superstition, professionalism
• 43:14 – The “snapping” at Rizzo over his comments to the media
• 52:08 – Leadership: Theo Epstein's post-Seattle-game apology
• 64:06 – Playoff mentality: why Lester thrives in October
• 88:34 – Game 7, Lester’s bullpen experience and rain delay
• 110:27 – Post-World Series celebration, trophy drama
• 117:02 – Grant Park speech: “How about this?”
• 119:11 – What Lester would tell himself looking back
• 128:08 – “Hangovers are temporary; legends last forever”

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Tone and Atmosphere

The tone is open, irreverent, hilarious—yet reverent when revisiting legacy, favorite games, and bonds forged in adversity. The trio’s lifelong brotherhood is on full display, offering fans a front-row seat to history, laughter, argument, pain, and joy.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a masterclass in what it takes to win as a team—on any field. Rich in untold stories, inside jokes, and brutal honesty, it’s a celebration of the 2016 Cubs, but more so a tribute to the power of leadership, humility, culture, and the memories that last a lifetime.

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End of summary.

Transcript

[John Lester]

This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time. And one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of. But I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the Blue Square.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And, Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if

[David Ross]

it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[John Lester]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird.

[David Ross]

What is this, your first date?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Oh, no. We help you people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[David Ross]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league anyways.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[David Ross]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Liberty. All right,

[David Ross]

you ready?

[John Lester]

I'm nervous.

[David Ross]

Tony, do you know what to do with your hands?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Get to work.

[John Lester]

Let's do it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Ready? Lock it in. I'm ready.

[David Ross]

I'm nervous.

[John Lester]

Do you know how you can start this?

[David Ross]

I'm nervous. I've been practicing this for three months, John. Okay,

[John Lester]

shouldn't you let the professional do the introduction?

[Anthony Rizzo]

No, he's. He's. He's put a lot of work into this.

[John Lester]

This would be good. All right, fair enough.

[David Ross]

Thanks.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I'm like the arm candy.

[John Lester]

You're the talent, I'm the army.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You're the true.

[David Ross]

All right, guys, shut up.

[John Lester]

Y' all should have been rolling now. Oh, perfect.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Perfect.

[David Ross]

Okay, I'm nervous. Let's do. Welcome this week's episode of the lovable reunion. Three time World Series champion, five time All Star, top five in the Cy Young, three different times. 200 career wins and an insane 4:1 World Series record with a 177 ERA. And fellow cancer survivor Johnny Lester.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yes. Number 34 in your programs, number one in our hearts. Just so you.

[John Lester]

I appreciate that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I appreciate the left hander. We got so many. We got so many nicknames for you, but we got to set the scene. All right, we're here at John's Farm Sanctuary.

[David Ross]

Sanctuary 31.

[Anthony Rizzo]

31 Boston Days.

[David Ross]

We think it should be 34.

[John Lester]

But, hey, it was. There was a time and a place when it was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He started making money early.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Actually, on that note, John, how rich are you?

[John Lester]

Well, Rossi, I'm not rich. I'm wealthy. I have rich people that work for me.

[David Ross]

I've lived my life by that quote, and I don't have any rich people really working for me, so I don't really know where.

[John Lester]

I can't fully take that. I stole it from Josh Beckett, so I gotta give him credit for that saying, I learned that a long time ago from him.

[David Ross]

Yeah, your. Your cast of veterans that you played with are so intimidating to me years later.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And, like, anytime I ever see Tim Wakefield or Rest in peace, Wakey. But Beckett, who is it? Josh? Tom? Tomlin? Timlin.

[John Lester]

Oh, Mike Timlin.

[David Ross]

Mike Timlin. I'm just terrified of all those guys because of the stories I heard from you. And I walked into that clubhouse one time, and Beckett was on the table when I was. When you're taking me around, which we'll get into. And I was, like, so terrified walking in that clubhouse, but how do you think I felt? Yeah, I know. I've. I heard all the stories, Johnny. You signing in Chicago in 15 was. It's the greatest signing in Cubs history. And what that simplified for our team was the most amazing feeling as someone who was there, who lost 100 games, and we stunk, and we were getting better. And then all of a sudden, we get Joe Madden that signs out of nowhere, and then the biggest free agent on the market, John Lester, comes and signs with us, and we're like, what is going on? Like, take us through that free agency process. Take us.

[John Lester]

Why?

[David Ross]

You believed in us because we stunk, and you were the best pitcher on the market. So why. Why did you sign with us? How did that go, man?

[John Lester]

I mean, wasn't an easy process. It was a fun process. Looking back on it, I wish I would have kind of relished in it a little bit more. It was, you know, at the time. When you're going through all of that, it's very stressful because, you know, I mean, at the end of the day, I got traded to Oakland, and I wanted to go back to Boston, right? Like, hey, yeah, trade me. We stink. Make your team better, hopefully. And then we'll come back in a few months and make it. Make it right. Right. Like, we'll go back to winning. And, you know, it's kind of like you break up with your first girlfriend, she dumps you, and then she kind of gives you a glimmer of hope that you might get back together and then stabs you in the back again.

[David Ross]

Oh, you know, so that.

[John Lester]

Been there, right? I mean, am. I say anyway, but during the whole process, it was the red sox the whole time. And then we went up to Chicago, met with Theo and. And Tom and. And crane and, you know, the whole cast. And as you guys know, Theo, I think, can sell ice to an eskimo, you know, and sitting in there and seeing what they were doing with wrigley and wrigleyville and the team and the vision and all this stuff, and no offense to rendery, I don't know know the man, but once they hired Joe, it was kind of like, all right, this is real. You know what I'm saying? And, I mean, Theo made it hard not to turn down.

[David Ross]

I mean, what made it hard, John? The. Was it 187 million?

[John Lester]

It was 55.

[David Ross]

Okay, sorry. Was it the private jet hours that you threw into your contract?

[John Lester]

Okay, so I'll tell you funny story.

[David Ross]

What was the. What was the.

[John Lester]

I'll tell you funny story about the private jet deal? So we agree to the deal. Me and my family go out to dinner, we celebrate. You know, it hasn't been announced yet. I think they've only told. Or like we've only told Theo or whatever. Had too much to drink at dinner, go to bed, wake up the next morning, turn on MLB channel. And they're. You know how MLB channel, they scroll across the bottom, like the. The details of the contract. So I'm sitting there watching it take kids to school, watching it, and I see 25 hours on NetJets. I'm like, huh? Wait a second. Pull a phone, call my agent. I'm like, dude, I got 25 hours on NetJets. He goes, yeah, we kind of got that in there. I had no idea that was part of the deal when it went down. But that was. I mean, to be honest with you, that was the best thing.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, you had a hard time. I remember coming to the Christmas party you had.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And San Francisco, you said, pitched a really nice buster and. And boats came in and pitch it. And then you were like, hey, what do you think about Chicago?

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And like, from then on, you were just quiet. And it was all. It was all working. But, like, that was. That was a really big decision. I remember how much it weighing on you.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And. And all your history, your kids growing up being, you know, born in Boston and having you had a House there?

[John Lester]

Yes, we had a house there. And, you know, I mean, at the end of the day, I don't want to say the Red Sox made it easy just based on how they were operating at the time, but they made it easier. The hard part of the end is, you know, when you're at that point in your career, you want. You have a vision of kind of how long you want to play for. Right. And mine was seven. I wanted seven years, however that looked, whatever. However structure you wanted. I thought, okay, seven years gives me the best opportunity in a city to hopefully win, do some personal things, kind of, you know, get your roots in

[David Ross]

that, build a legacy.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Like, you did get your legacy Boston. And you have legacies in Chicago, and you have a small legacy in Oakland.

[John Lester]

Small. Very small. And D.C. and even a smaller one in St. Louis. But, you know, San Francisco comes in, and they. They're at six years. Six years, six years. And all of a sudden, they come. They go, all right, we'll give you the guaranteed seventh. And you're like, I don't want to go back out to the west coast. Even though I'm from there. My family's here, you know, and it's like, how do you do this? How would you navigate it? And. And all that. And then ultimately, it was like, you know, we'll just play the cards and see how they fall, and hopefully I'm good enough at the sixth year where my option gets picked up and we ride off into the sunset. You know, obviously, that didn't happen, but, I mean, I don't obviously don't regret the decision of. Of coming over.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So you go to Chicago. You have your signing. A big group of you guys went out to celebrate that night.

[John Lester]

Yeah, I know where you're going with this.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Can you walk me through what happened that night?

[John Lester]

So we go. I forgot even where we were.

[David Ross]

I'm assuming you were overserved.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Bub City, I think.

[John Lester]

City.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Bub City.

[John Lester]

Shout out. Bub City. Best fireball in town. It's homemade, in case you guys didn't know. It's their own recipe. Really? Yeah, it's.

[David Ross]

It's pretty sick. That's good. Plug.

[John Lester]

So we go to Bub City. It's Theo, Jed, me, my family, my agents, and we're sitting there talking, and we're going over, like, kind of new play, like, what they need to kind of fill the roster for the team. And I'm like, y' all got a backup catcher? And they're like. They go, no. I go, you need to sign Rossi I forgot who said it. They're like, well, you know, his ops and this and that has gone down over the last couple years. And I'm like, yeah, but you need. You need a veteran. Veteran dude that knows what his role is when he comes. When he walks through that door. There's no. I'm competing for the starting job. I'm. This is my job. I'm here to pick up. I think. I think we had traded for Miggy at that time.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Yep.

[John Lester]

Yeah, I'm here to pick up Miggy when he needs a break, and then he would obviously catch me. So I get to. I mean, I'm bugging the hell out of Theo. And finally he's like, it's two in the morning. We're the only people in Bub City. And he goes, you get him on the phone, we'll work a deal out. As a kid, say, bet. All right, you're cultured. Prove it. Like, here. Okay, here we go. Pull the phone up.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Three in the morning, Florida time.

[John Lester]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Forgot that. So two in the morning. Three in the morning there. I called his phone seven times. No answer.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I'm waking up going, oh, John's drunk.

[John Lester]

Yeah. Yeah. Like, this is the. This is. Hey, man, what are you doing? Phone call. But. So I'm like, I go far. Do you have Highless number? And she's like, yeah, I go call her right now.

[Anthony Rizzo]

How it goes? This is. That's Farah's calling me. Because I was like, who is that? I was like, it's John. He's hammered. She said, it's Farah. I was like, okay, I should probably answer this.

[David Ross]

What if you didn't answer? Think about how history is. Yeah. Not written the way it was. Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Thank God for Farrah.

[John Lester]

We can thank her for a lot.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Damn.

[John Lester]

So he answered. He, hila, gives him the phone. I'm like, hey, bro, I'm sitting here with Theo. Do you want to come to Chicago? And he's like, fuck, yeah, let's do it. So I'm sitting. He's like. I'm like, all right, what would it take to get you here? He goes, man, if you get me five and a half, that'd be great. Or six. You started at six. He goes, two for six. So mind you, and I don't remember Bub City having these after the fact, but Theo had this mug, like an October Fest mug of beer. And I'm on the phone in one of those booths, and Theo's standing there

[David Ross]

at 2:00am At 2:00am okay.

[Anthony Rizzo]

All right.

[John Lester]

And I go, hey. He wants two for six. And Theo starts drinking his beer. He just goes. He just keeps doing this over and wouldn't say a word. Just keeps going, two, five. Two, five. So I'm like, rossi, he's saying, two, five. He's like, all right, See if you can get me five and a half.

[David Ross]

You caved real quick.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I'm like, I'm going with Lester to Chicago. Let's go.

[John Lester]

I was like. I was like, dude, Theo, he wants to. He wants five and a half. He just. He's still. This beer.

[Anthony Rizzo]

What a.

[David Ross]

What a G, dude.

[John Lester]

Two for five. Just back and forth. And I'm like, damn it. Rossi's.

[David Ross]

He's five, dude. This is one of the most established baseball executives of all time.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And this is how he's negotiating. Yeah, I'm going to start doing that for now on.

[John Lester]

And he don't say a word. And he sits there, and he just keeps doing it. And I tell. I tell Rossi, I go, man, he's two for five. He's like, all right. It's like, silence. I think I'm like, still good. Got the phone. He goes, all right, I'll take it. See if you can get me a suite on the road.

[Anthony Rizzo]

No way. I woke up the next morning. My agent was. So I said, I think I just gave.

[David Ross]

I remember.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And we had the same agent.

[John Lester]

He's.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think we just came to terms with Chicago for two for five. He's like, what? What are you talking about? He's getting Theo on the phone, cussing him out. But, bro, you. That. That is like. That's like. It's so funny how that went down to me. Like, nobody would ever. I don't think we've told that story.

[David Ross]

N. You came in, though, and you completely shifted the culture there. And we had great veterans before I. I mean, Soriano, Stan Castro, Edwin Jackson, Reed Johnson, Jeff Baker, Dempster. Great veterans. But when you walked in that door, it changed.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And I don't know if you ever knew that. I don't think you ever got the actual proper respect and Runway that how much you change that culture. But being there for the time I was there beforehand, and you coming in was like, this is real.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And we're gonna win now because you're a winner, and you bring in soon to be Grandpa Rossi with you, and he's a winner. And the respect you guys deemed dude that first spring training, that first day in 2015, I think he threw a live BP and it was the most Electric, intense, live batting practice till this day I've ever seen. And I was like, holy. Like, these two are legit.

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[Anthony Rizzo]

I think him a lot more than me.

[John Lester]

I think that's part of, you know, growing up in Boston though, too. Right? Like, you get to Boston and the. The media microscope there and the fan microscope is, Is. I mean, it's so honed on you that when you show up to spring training, it's not like I'll tell the story about dimp Ryan Dempster 2013 or 2000. Yeah, 13. So we're coming off 12. It's my worst year of my career, and we got our asses kicked all year.

[David Ross]

That was your boy downtown, right? That was the whole disaster.

[John Lester]

Yeah. And so we. We get to spring training, and, dude, I've been throwing bullpens for like a month and a half. And when. I mean bullpens, like the last six bullpens, I faced hitters before I left home and got to spring training. So first day of bullpens, you know, I'm telling the pitching coach, Juan Nieves at the time, I'm like, hey, dude, I'm. I'm throwing a 50 or 60 pitch bullpen. Like, I'm. I'm. We're getting locked in, and Demps on the other end of the six pack or whatever, and he hears me say that, and he walks down, he goes, you're throwing what? He goes, this is the first day of camp, dude. I go, yeah, what about it? He goes, I haven't thrown off the mound yet. You know what I'm saying? Like, nothing against them. He was a little bit older in his career. He knew it worked for him, and that's how he did it. But I was so upset about the way the year went before and got, you know, crushed and all that stuff for my performance, which I deserve. But it was like, all right, the accountability needs to be. I need to be ready. I need to be accountable for what happened last year, and I need to get off to a good start. Point I'm trying to make is Boston makes you think that way. Even though it's day one of spring, there's 50 some odd media people sitting there, and they're looking at you seeing how you throw your bullpen and how

[David Ross]

you go about it, it's another level.

[John Lester]

Yeah. And so coming to Chicago, you know, of talking to him and. And few other people getting there, it's like, hey, dude, just be yourself. Dive into your routine. Dive into what you do. Yeah. I probably wasn't the most sociable person, but I disagree.

[David Ross]

Yeah, you just got to get. Break down the barriers.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

You got to get past the resting face, but other than that, you're good.

[David Ross]

I don't get why I don't ever get any compliments. Oh, yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I was like, why is everybody like, you guys, like, because I smile.

[John Lester]

Gone.

[David Ross]

I just. Bro. We were in. Whenever we went to. Back to Boston, I was with. He was a Cubs employee at the time, Jeff McGee, one of our good friends. And we were in, like, a little dive bar with all his friends, and they're from, like, Lowell, Massachusetts, so they had the thick accents. And we're boozing a little bit. It was after a game. And his boys are just like, we're talking about you. And they're just pissed off that the Red Sox didn't sign you back. And they're like, there's no price for Johnny Lester. You should have got him when he was on sale. Referencing. They signed David Price.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And Chris Sales, and they just kept the whole, there's no price for Johnny Lester. You should have got them on sale. And like, bro, these thick. They're passionate fans. There's only so many fan bases like that. You've played for two, I play for two. You've played. You know, it's just. It's different.

[John Lester]

It's different.

[David Ross]

It's different. And Chicago is one of those places as well.

[John Lester]

It very much is. And, you know, it's a little bit easier just because, like, the way I like to talk about it is you got the Midwest people a little more laid back kind of a little bit. And then you got in the Northeast, which is, you know, you cross the street wrong, and you're getting. Yeah. You know, you're getting ridiculed about it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Oh, yeah. Well, you guys had a Boston connection. You should talk about.

[David Ross]

Well, did the dude you signing, too, was like, full circle moment for me, because in 08, when I was diagnosed with cancer, John was my. Was part of my inspiration. It was Lance Armstrong. John Lester.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And I was in Boston, and there was a rain delay at the stadium, and Theo has said, hey, do you want to go down and meet Lester and Tito and see the clubhouse and stuff? And I was like, absolutely. So little does John know that he's bringing some minor leaguer in, that he's going to pep him up. Like, probably get word, hey, this kid just got diagnosed with cancer and he brings me in and changed my life. He tells me, hey, man, like, you're going to go through this. You're going to feel good, you're going to feel bad on days you feel good. Go out and be yourself. Go be a kid. And, like, I still send that message to every single.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Kid I ever talk to. Because it's true.

[John Lester]

Well, and especially with cancer, man, it's so hard because you're going through the treatments and you know the feeling of it where, you know, some days after treatments you wake up and you're like, man, I. I could go do my normal training and hit and run and do all that stuff. And then some days you feel like you can't get out of bed.

[David Ross]

Yeah. Like, you were just like.

[John Lester]

To go to the bathroom is.

[David Ross]

Yep.

[John Lester]

Is a damn, you know, spectacle.

[David Ross]

So you. You telling me that, though, and you kind of showing me that way.

[John Lester]

Was this before or after you fainted?

[David Ross]

Exactly. So I'm in. We're in. Yeah, bro. It was because I just had my first treatment. Yeah. Like a day before, but it does. Your first one doesn't kick in for like two or three days. So we go to the game and I'm, like, trying to be strong, right. I'm 18 years old. I'm on top of the world. Like, I've got to show these executives that, like, I'm the guy, right? Like. And he's showing me around, and then we're talking, he's telling me all this stuff, and it's all hitting me like I have fucking cancer. Like, I didn't even know what cancer was. And all of a sudden we're in, like, this little hallway. I just, like, drop. And John just goes, can we get this kid of water, bro? I'm not kidding. Like, I'm so embarrassed, right? And everything hits me and I just fall down to my knees and, like, thought I was going to die. And he's like, can we get him a water? And then fast forward to spring training next year. John is. It's a spring training game. I don't know, the team must have been on the road. He didn't feel like going or something. So he's pitching on the back fields. So I was back in. In camp and they called me over one of the minor league, you know, slap dicks to come over and face him. And I was so excited. And I got two at bats off John Lester. I was like, yeah, I'm pumped. Like, I wonder if he remembers me. There's no way he remembered me. I get two at bats, I see six pitches, and I strike out twice, strike one, strike two, strike three twice. And I got home. I got home and I called my mom and dad, and I was so excited. I was like, guys, they picked me to face John Lester. Like, do you think you remembered me

[John Lester]

now that you say that? I actually. No, I do remember it, but now that you say that it was the six pitches, I think that's where. Where tech invented the front hip cutter.

[David Ross]

That.

[John Lester]

And we were.

[David Ross]

Does that make sense?

[John Lester]

Yeah, we've been. Yeah, we'd been work.

[David Ross]

You know, I've been just thinking it wasn't for me.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Never seen that in the minor leagues.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Lester Cutter.

[David Ross]

Never.

[John Lester]

And I think they called you over because you were a lefty. And it was like, all right, we're throwing the front.

[David Ross]

Please, John, don't. This is why they say, don't be your heroes. Just. Just give it to me. But then in 2014, we're at the same All Star Game, and another full circle moment for me, right? This is a guy I, like, leaned on hard through my cancer treatment and process, and I, like, go up to him like, hey, like, kind of remember me? And he did. Or he played it off like he did.

[John Lester]

I did.

[David Ross]

You still play it off. And we're talking. I'm just, hey, man, like, Chicago's a great place. Try to recruit them at in Minnesota. And then you sign and it's just like, it was the best feeling ever. But I. I left out after I fainted. His very next start was his arguably most special start of your career, which I take full credit for. He threw a no hitter.

[John Lester]

You remind me.

[David Ross]

He threw a no hitter after he met with me and the Italian family that I have. It's all numbers and signs. So him throwing the no hitter was signs from the heavens. It was all for me.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He felt bad for you?

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Little faint in front of him. That's so great. All right, I want to Fast forward to 16.

[John Lester]

All right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, we talked a little bit about that. I'm gonna read off your stats. 19 and 5. A 202 ERA, 32 games started, 202 innings, second to Cy Young, lowest ERA and WHIP of your career. Two complete games, three and one in the playoffs. Six games, five. Started 35 innings in the postseason with a 2:02. What's your favorite stat in that? Seriously?

[John Lester]

200 innings.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I knew you were going to say that. You loved posting, bro.

[David Ross]

Why? I know why.

[John Lester]

If you would have read the starts, I probably would have gone 1.1A starts and then 1B innings. Because you mean you means that my. I'm accountable for my teammates, like, the hardest part of a pitcher. So, like, you guys, you know, later in your career, you didn't play every day, but you had to post every day. Right. Like you were there. Something hits the fan, you got to go in the game. You got to be ready. Sure. My ass. For four days. Go, team. I have. No.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I have. I don't know.

[David Ross]

I saw your skit for those four days, and it was literally a dream. Golf.

[John Lester]

Come on now.

[David Ross]

The next day was some sort of fast food in the clubhouse. The myth is true.

[John Lester]

If it was a day game, yes. If it was a night game, well, probably.

[David Ross]

If it wasn't, you're golfing. But definitely pops. You know? You know, you taught me, which you never even talked about this. It was just by example. And leading by example is you literally, as a pitcher, would stay out all night, you'd have fun and enjoy. But the next day, I saw you, one of the first guys in the weight room, busting your ass, and it's like, you didn't need to do that. Like, your resume and your pedigree spoke for itself. But to see you do that after the night out meant more than just to see you do it after a good start or something, because that's what it takes to be a professional. And seeing you do that every day and week in and week out was, like, it was so cool to watch.

[John Lester]

Yeah. And, I mean, they learned that in Boston with, you know, with Beckett, and, you know, I kind of got thrown under his. His wing early in his. In my career. Early in his career. And Beckett was that way. It was just, hey, man, you got to out prepare the other guy, you know? And I never looked. I wasn't like, SHIELD Would always look at who he was facing in five days and be like, all right, I'm gonna. He wasn't. He was big in the weight room, but not big in the weight room. He was more of a. I'm gonna out study this guy. I'm gonna have a better game plan than him. I'm gonna last longer in the game than him, and I'm. I'm just gonna outperform him. He was thinking, like, I'm competing against that guy. I never liked that analogy. I like. Because I don't ever face that dude. Right? Like, I'm not, I'm not going against him. He's pitching on the other side. I'm going against the team. Right. And so like I learned that if I'm prepared and my teammates know I'm prepared, they're going to play harder behind me. Not to say that people take games off or plays off or whatever, but.

[David Ross]

No, we were ready. Yeah, you took the. When.

[John Lester]

You know what I'm saying? Like you knew that I was ready.

[David Ross]

We had you and we had him. So we knew we were. What was the line you said yesterday with the three pound fishing pole?

[John Lester]

No, you couldn't get three pound fishing line out of my ass.

[David Ross]

That was, that was all. Most of the defenders, like everyone was on edge as far as like, you better be ready.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And same with lack. You, you.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

The Cowboys demanded that respect and it was real.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well when you guys, you, we watched you prepare. I obviously like, I just caught you but like you're, you had a, you were the most routine oriented pitcher I've ever been around.

[David Ross]

I could take you through your entire routine right now. Yeah. Starts the day before you're doing your film sometime before the, the game, after the game, the night before you start, you pour yourself a stiff crown and Sprite.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Right.

[John Lester]

Sleeper.

[David Ross]

As a sleeper, you get in, you do your flush day.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Right. Like you, you get. Was that the treadmill?

[David Ross]

No, this is, this is the start day now. Start day, you get in, you do your Bob Tewksberry shout out to one of the greatest sports psychologists, put his headphones in headphones, do your cards, go over your scanner report again, take your little cat nap and then you throw on. Well, first off, I forgot the superstitions boxers. Are you wearing those today?

[John Lester]

No, I'm not.

[David Ross]

John had these boxers that he wore.

[John Lester]

I had two pair. One pair I wore so much the crotch got worn out of them and I actually took them to a tailor.

[David Ross]

I remember you told me this had

[John Lester]

new fabric put in them and then you're lucky boxers. Yeah, I hadn't heard that one. And then for Christmas one year, my wife got tired of seeing these holy boxers. So she got me a set like. So normally I wear like the tight ones, the briefs or whatever they're called.

[David Ross]

Yeah. But on start day they're like the loose.

[John Lester]

Yeah, they're the loose ones. Okay. And so one Christmas she gets me these, this box of three from Ralph Lauren or whatever and gets the sanctuary logo put on them and they're all three different colors. So in spring training that year I had test runs so, like, I wore this pair. Yeah. Which one? If I pitch good in this one. All right, we're gonna give this one another run. If it doesn't go well, I switched to the next one. And then by the season, I had a pair, and then I wore that pair the rest of the time.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And. And the camo.

[David Ross]

The camo. That was like. I remember, too, like, you being one of my guys, I looked up to the most, and I tried to get that. And you had to live strong cleats that one year. It was like.

[John Lester]

We did that a couple years. Yeah, that was cool.

[David Ross]

But then you do that. Then you. You. Then you just start laser focusing it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Ross]

But you're superstition.

[John Lester]

Five o'. Clock. The five o'.

[David Ross]

Clock.

[John Lester]

Five o' clock is.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I always had to go to you and do the scouting report because he'd be getting rubbed down on the table. And we just go over the scouting board again for like, you had already done it and you were. If you had anything, it was. It was like, hey, we're gonna throw this guy. Cut her in. He'd be like, no, no, back. It'd be like, no, no, no babies. No babies back there.

[John Lester]

No babies.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Backdoor babies. I was like, okay, so we're throwing a backdoor cutter to this guy.

[David Ross]

It was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You were. You were. You were just a professional.

[John Lester]

Well, of a player, but also too, like, I realized at an early age with the routine, you know, I get kind of thrown in to game four of the World Series in 07. You know, I'm 22 years old and I'm in the bullpen.

[David Ross]

Coming off cancer the year before.

[John Lester]

Yeah, coming off cancer, I had no eyebrows. I had less hair than I have now. When I showed up to spring training and, you know, go through the season, up and down the season, like, just physically, mentally get called up, went down for a start, yada, yada, get to the playoffs. And, you know, luckily, John Farrell, I heard this later on, he fought for me to be on the roster. Fought he wanted me on the roster. He thought that I could be, you know, some sort of guy in the bullpen that could help out or whatever. So I'm in the bullpen, wakey pitches, game. I think it was Game 4 in Cleveland, and comes out because he's hurt. He hurt his arm. And so I get called in the office after we win, and they're like, hey, you're going to get a start in this series at some point. Well, now I'm back to being a starter. So what do you do you immediately fall right back into your routine? Right. And I just remember being so nervous going out there, but I'm like, all right, I have, you know, leg kicks here, or I have this stretch, or I have this. And I just kept falling back to that. Right? Like, I'd get to the outfield and I'd look around and start, you know, getting the jitters. All right, what am I doing? What is my warm up routine coming back? And then now you start throwing, and first throw, you're like, oh, God, okay. All right. Where do I go from here? You know, I do 10 throws here, and then I go here, and then I. Then you get into the bullpen. And now, like, my routine was so locked in from my warm up that everything just went away. Now it's like, all right, three fastballs, three fastballs. This, this. Boom, boom, boom. Now you get in the game. Now you're pitching. And so at an early age, I learned like, oh, the routine actually calms you down.

[David Ross]

Sure.

[John Lester]

You know what I'm saying? Like, so then from that moment on, I was like, this is what I'm doing.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It prepares you best way to handle that.

[David Ross]

So what happened with where what got lost between spring training, all the PFPs and backfield work? What happened? Where was the routine on pickoffs?

[John Lester]

There was no routine.

[David Ross]

No. I know, I know, but we did it. We nailed it.

[John Lester]

Yeah, we did.

[David Ross]

I mean, it took a very long time.

[John Lester]

We got it.

[David Ross]

But what the happened?

[John Lester]

So I tell people this. If I knew, I would fix it.

[David Ross]

We fixed it, though.

[John Lester]

Well, it's easy when it's just like when you go, you know, I tell. I have, you know, playing golf and stuff with people, and you get to know new guys and, you know, they get a few beverages in them and they think they could have liquid courage and ask whatever they want. And they ask about that. And I go, hey, with all due respect. With all due respect, I'm like, hey, dude, have you ever stood over a chip and you're like, I got this. And then all of a sudden you spasm and you can't hit it. They go, oh, yeah. All the time. I go, like, it's the same thing.

[David Ross]

What'd it feel like, though, when you we picked off Tommy Pham? I know. The announcers were talking, too. Oh, Tommy. Fans didn't just steal or no.

[John Lester]

Was it. It was Tim Carver.

[David Ross]

I'm over there, literally like, john, I got you. Just throw it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And I hated it when he started throwing over because I'm like, I love throwing These guys out there trying to. He's like A. Under A1 to the plate, you know, like.

[John Lester]

Yeah, well.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And that's so good.

[John Lester]

That's the other part.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Controlling the running game.

[John Lester]

Yeah. Like the reporters. Without throwing over, the reporters ask you about it. And I'm like, listen, you know, in life, if you're not good at something, you try to get better at something else to basically negate that. Sure. Right. So I knew I was not good at that. Okay. Well, not good is probably not the right word to say. Terrible at that. And I knew. Okay. In order to hopefully fix this of some capacity, also shout out to Joe. Joe was great with it.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

If there. If there was any other manager, it would have been way worse. We would have been an issue and it wouldn't have been handled properly. Joe handled it great. And he's the one that taught me. He's like, if you're not good at something, get better at something else. So I said, okay, I'm gonna. In. You know, in today's game with the pitch clock, obviously it would be null and void, but I got better at holding the ball, varying my looks. Slide stepping. We implemented the modified. The modified pitch out. You know, did you did things over at first base having Javi at second base with the tags.

[David Ross]

Oh, no, we may do.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Yeah, we may do.

[John Lester]

But like, so 2015, for example, I think gave up like 40 stolen bases, led the league in that. So I had to come to Jesus in the off season. Like, all right, if I'm not good at this, what can I do? And worked on those things. I think the next year we gave up 12.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. And I stunk to start it too. Like I wasn't throwing good. I remember start that season, had to. How to do a lot of that was just, you know, you found your we, you. We worked on it in spring training. I remember we started like the bounce pass.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

On some of the bunts and different stuff. Like. But it was. We knew they were going. It was like. And you were so fast. It was funny. We had. Like you said, we had Riz and Javi. It made it a lot of fun. I want to go back to. We talked about those stats and I look back on 2016. Do you have a favorite start outside the.

[John Lester]

Let's.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Let's put the playoffs aside. Do you have a favorite start that year? Cuz you got off to a little. You put so much pressure on yourself.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You came in there. I remember coming in the dugout one that was like a third start. And You. You were just okay. And you came up in the dugout and you were like, you got anything? You see anything? And I would lost. I was like, compete.

[John Lester]

Yeah, I.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You just compete. I was losing my mind. Cuz if. If you got taken out of the game, didn't do good, I didn't get to play. Just. Just so we know, I didn't get my last at bat. If he came out of the game and wasn't anymore, I didn't get to play.

[John Lester]

If it was the bus or if it was a hotel room or if it was in the club, I think it was in the clubhouse because I think you kind of embarrassed me in front of everybody. But he comes in and he. One of those mediocre starts and you know, I think we're all. We end up winning the game. We're all high fiving afterwards, doing the party thing. And he comes in and he goes, damn it, John. He goes, if you would pitch better, I could get more at bats. He goes, if you stink, I don't get to hit.

[David Ross]

I remember it. But you said the story about, was it coming into 13 being like accountable? And I know you weren't happy with your 2015 year, which ended up being a really good year. It was just a. It was a grind for you all year. Right. It was like peaks and valleys, but ended up being a solid year. And we get swept by the Mets. Fucking Daniel Murphy still have nightmares. But we come into spring training in 16 and everyone's like, we're. We have already won the World Series. And that really started with you. You're like, we already won. Just press play.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Like the script. He had shirts for us made. I was about to say, literally with duck boats on them.

[John Lester]

Right. That's a Johnny Gomes thing.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

To go back. Before I answer that, to go back to your question, there's two starts that stand out in my mind. One ended up being a good start, didn't start out very well. The other one was probably my favorite one because I didn't expect to get the opportunity to finish the game. But we had a late season game in Pittsburgh, tight race, two to one game. I get in a jam in the eighth, end up punching out the dude that Coughlin broke his leg. The.

[David Ross]

The shortstop.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, yeah, Kim.

[John Lester]

South Korean.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

Or yeah, yeah, Korean guy. Kim, I think, and struck him out. Big situation. I'm already at like. I think I'm at like that hundred mark fist pump. Yeah, let's go. Give it to the closer. Like, I'm walking off the Mountain thinking. Because Joe usually didn't let you go, especially a close game. I get in the dugout, I sit down, I'm like,

[Anthony Rizzo]

somebody come shake my head.

[John Lester]

I'm like, boss, Joe nobody. All right, here we go. And then boss comes down with, like, one out or two out. Seems like, hey, you good? I said, yeah, let's go. And we ended up finishing that game. And I was like. Not that I was happy he gave me the opportunity, but I was happy he gave me the opportunity to finish that game. Then the other one.

[David Ross]

September, too.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And we're already.

[David Ross]

September was priority clinched about.

[John Lester]

No, we. We were.

[David Ross]

It was on the verge.

[John Lester]

Yeah. It wasn't quite there, but it was a big game against them. And, you know, one of those deals, the other one ended up being a good game, I think went 7. 7 or 8. Day game in Atlanta, home.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Was that the Freddy Freeman day? Oh, my gosh.

[John Lester]

So we're in the. I'm in there getting rubbed down before the game. Rossi comes in, we're going over the thing, and I'm like, hey, I like. I like.

[Anthony Rizzo]

First of all, he hometown, like, lives in Atlanta, wants to beat him bad day game. I was a brave. You'd always want to beat your former team, right? Like, it's just kind of natural. So we're locked in, day game. It's hot as heck, and it's 164 degrees. Yeah.

[David Ross]

Yeah. You're seven feet from hell, old Turner, right?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

So actually, that wasn't 16. That was 15. 15. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, sorry I got my ears

[David Ross]

wrong, but played so many. John. I understand.

[John Lester]

So we go over the thing, and I'm like, hey, I like two strike breaking ball to Freddy. Like Chase. He goes, no, you cannot throw a strike breaking ball to him.

[David Ross]

Yeah, you can.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He murders well. Yeah.

[John Lester]

Yours is 47 miles an hour.

[David Ross]

So it's not about me. It's not about me.

[John Lester]

So anyway, so first inning, something happens. Guy gets on second base, two outs, Freddy's up. And I'm shaking and shaking and shaking, and you can see Rossi. He's just sitting back there going and keeps throwing stuff down, and he won't put down curveball time. He looks at me, he goes, curveball. Yep. Don't bury it. Base it to right. We're down one nothing. We come in the dugout, he yard sales his whole catcher's gear.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He goes, it just throw it everywhere.

[John Lester]

I remember this. Just throw whatever you want. I'm not putting down any more signs. You throw it, I'll catch it. And I'M like, following him like a lost puppy dog. I'm like, come on, bro, don't give up on me.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He's like, don't give up on me.

[John Lester]

I was like, I meant to bounce it. He goes, but I told you, no strike. Breaking balls.

[Anthony Rizzo]

John, we just went over it. We just went over the first inning. Do you think I did it on purpose?

[David Ross]

He goes, no, but throw whatever you want.

[John Lester]

So we sit down, we're in the air conditioning, we're all drinking our water. Three outs, we go to run out. He goes, all right, we good?

[David Ross]

You had to get it off your chest. You were so angry.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It was good. It was. I was so mad.

[John Lester]

It was. I mean, it was hot. It was all this.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But you pitched. You did pitch well.

[John Lester]

We ended up winning the game.

[David Ross]

We get off to What a historic 279 start. We're rolling, right? What? It was. Yeah, we were. We were rolling.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And everyone. I mean, spring training, we already had the mindset of, we're winning the World Series, there's no one stopping us, and we get off to the start. For me, there was a few games that stood out early on, but I want to know from you what stood out on that team early that was like, holy. We're gonna. We're gonna do this.

[John Lester]

I just feel like we were relentless early, you know what I mean? Like, when we had a chance to step on somebody's throat, we stepped on it early and we made a point. And Joe. Joe always harped on. I remember Joe, spring training, he's like, all I care about. Y' all get off to a fast start.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, he did.

[John Lester]

That's all he talked about, quick start. Because if you don't get off to that quick start, there's going to be a team that does. And now you're chasing, and that's hard to do, but I just remember we freaking. We came out and it was like. I mean, we were in la and it was like, dinner.

[David Ross]

We had that, and then we just went, dinner. How much did we spend at that team dinner?

[John Lester]

Well, we talked about last night. I thought it was more, but I think we agreed it was 15.

[David Ross]

It was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It was over 15, because I think Theo had told us, like, hey, we're going to give you this much money. We're coming from Vegas. Let's.

[David Ross]

So we have spring. Two spring training games in Vegas, which we blow it out on. But they'd only wanted us there for one or two nights, not the third night.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We had an off day.

[David Ross]

So they're like, all right, we're gonna like. They're forcing us to go to Anaheim when the whole team wanted to stay in Vegas because we all wanted to enjoy. And so Theo and Mr. Ricketts agreed that they would buy us a huge team dinner, which once John came over, he was usually the one him and Lackey would fight for. Who's paying for the team dinners. And we have this beautiful team dinner and then we go out, we roll la.

[John Lester]

I mean Angels. It was the Angels. Yeah, it was the Angels.

[David Ross]

We take, I think two out of three.

[John Lester]

No, it's just two or I'm saying

[David Ross]

from the Diamondbacks diamond.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's where Shoreber got hurt.

[David Ross]

Schorber got hurt. Lackey gave up like five or six

[John Lester]

early and we end up winning that game.

[David Ross]

And we ended up destroying him in that game.

[John Lester]

He gave up a lead off homer.

[David Ross]

Yeah, he was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He never does that first fastball. Here it comes. And he. Nobody ever swings.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And he gave up a homer.

[David Ross]

But what was. Were some things just being relentless.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And then because getting off to the good start was key because I thought

[Anthony Rizzo]

the messaging and spring training. You're talking about, Joe. The messaging and spring training was so like expectations are good. Embrace. Yeah, right. Embrace it. Embrace the target which the targets on our back. Because we went so far and everybody came in hungry. So that was the most fun spring train. Dex came back. We had a Dex. Remember that? I was retiring. Making fun of me.

[David Ross]

We had all the skits with busy.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Kami singing the.

[David Ross]

The Kawasaki. Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Singing.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

The karaoke.

[David Ross]

The karaoke. Played drops of Jupiter on the piano. About me.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It was a good time. It was a good time. I want to go back. You brought up something that we're just thinking about stories here. But you said Pittsburgh.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I want to hear. I want to hear the Pittsburgh story. When you came in yelling at Riz.

[John Lester]

Oh, bro.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We.

[John Lester]

So that was right before the All Star break.

[David Ross]

Right.

[John Lester]

And we.

[David Ross]

This Sunday morning before the All Star break, keep in mind, now we have two birds because there's 12 of us going to the All Star game or whatever. We have two private planes waiting for us after the game. The morning of the game, we roll in. We lost nine of ten are. We're getting shelled. If the offense does well, the pitching sucked. The pitching does well. Offense sucked. I'm riding high. I go into the All Star break raking.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

I'm like, you're feeling it. You're 14. I'm like 12 for 15 in that series, like on a high. The game before John gives Up three or four runs, we end up losing. I go four for five in the game.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I think I give up six with a homer.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Homer shy of cycle. Not about me.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Oh, okay. That's what it was.

[Commercial Announcer]

I have.

[John Lester]

Not that he remembers it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It's not about me.

[David Ross]

Not that he remembers. Well, I remember this because I'm in the weight room the Sunday morning before the all. And I knew that night when the quote came out, I was like. I texted our media relations guy, Peter Chase, and I was like, hey, this came out wrong. Like, is it that bad? He's talking me off the ledge because I know what's. What's coming. So you read the quote, please? Yeah, I have the quote here.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You don't mind?

[John Lester]

Well, before you read the quote, do you know how I found out about the quote?

[David Ross]

Oh, I know. Travis Woods.

[John Lester]

Okay. Just Maddie mad the lady.

[David Ross]

Oh, I know.

[John Lester]

Okay.

[David Ross]

This game isn't easy, said Anthony rizzo, who went 4 for 5 and was a home run shy of the cycle. Feel myself. It's impossible to boat race the whole season like we were doing. We just have to clean up our pitching a little. We're talking. We're walking too many guys. And that's not the formula. We've had a formula playing good baseball, and we don't have it right now. Maybe we have to mix a few cocktails together and figure it out, but that's what it comes down to. I knew right away when I said the pitching.

[John Lester]

Also, if you read the whole thing, it's not as bad, But John comes in. What Woody. Woody showed me.

[David Ross]

John comes in the next day start before the All Star Game. He's not pitching the All Star Game, right?

[John Lester]

No, I didn't pitch that one.

[David Ross]

So he's had a good night. And I'm in the weight room. We're watching. Me and Tim Buss are watching Joel Osteen, right? It was like our Sunday morning.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We were losing everything.

[David Ross]

They have a small little. It's a small weight room with a tiny little screen. And Joel Osteen's on, or one of the shows are on and I'm foam rolling on the ground like socks. Just shorts and like maybe a shirt and foam rolling in such a vulnerable position. And John comes in after Travis Wood runs. John, look what. Look what Anthony said. Look what Rizzo said. Like your little brother. And he comes in. I've never seen him this mad face beat, red lip quivering, standing over me. If you ever talk about our pitching staff again, I'll kill you. And I was like, I'm so vulnerable. Like, in submissions, it wasn't the best

[John Lester]

choice of words that I said, but obviously the night before was my start, so I was still pissed.

[David Ross]

Sure.

[John Lester]

Like I said, if you read the whole. When you just read that off, that's the first time I've ever heard the whole thing.

[David Ross]

Of course, because Woody.

[John Lester]

It doesn't sound as bad as when Woody just shows you, we need to clean up our pitching staff.

[David Ross]

If you. We need to clean up our. You never talk about. And I'm just looking at him like, in the. I just remember the only thing I said to him and he couldn't do anything about it says, I'm sorry, John. I messed up. And he didn't know what to do. And he just kept quivering and he just walked out. And like, the whole later on, we hugged it out and calmed down, but I was so scared.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Part of that is when you bring over winning players and re Establishing culture, right? It's like, you know, we used to get pissed if somebody had a. Is always there in front of their locker. In a good game, you got to be there in the bad game, you know, I mean, like, you got to talk to the media. Like, that's a thing you're establishing as winners. And that's basically as a veteran, a guy with two World Series rings coming in and going, hey, man, we don't bash each other. And that. We're gonna bash each other in the. To the media. Like, you got. Like, I. No, I wasn't any good, you know, but that's. That's the standard you were brought up with in the winning culture. And it's like, that's how. I think that's how winning.

[David Ross]

Basically, you taught me a lesson that day.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

That I carried with me for the rest of my exact career. And by doing that, I grew up and I became a better leader. And when it was my turn to go talk to someone, I didn't scream at him, because as I got older, the culture changed, and you can't do the old school cowboy stuff.

[John Lester]

But I also knew at that time in our relationship and our friendship, I knew that by me saying that to you in five minutes, you would be fine with it. And in five minutes, I would be fine with it. If I did that to another player. Yeah, it would be a season long. You know, Like, I knew. And also, too, I knew if I did it loud enough that somebody out here might hear it and be like, what did Anthony say? And look at it and go, oh, okay, I need to pay attention. To what I'm saying now. Right. It. I hate the fact you were the guinea pig on it, but.

[David Ross]

No, I love.

[John Lester]

You know, it is what it is.

[David Ross]

I was. I was so.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I was like that for the rest of your career.

[David Ross]

I was gonna be eating a dog after that. I was so scared. But again. And then after we go to the all star game and we have a great time.

[John Lester]

I mean, 10 minutes later, we're fine.

[David Ross]

Yeah. Because that's what that team was. That was the bond we had. And then we go into the all star game and then we go into the end of July.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[David Ross]

We're playing the Mariners Sunday night baseball.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Oh, my.

[David Ross]

We have a huge. I mean, I'm talking the biggest road trip of the year coming up. Right. That's been planned out for numerous reasons. For numerous reasons that we're going to get to after the. This play. And Theo calls you guys into the office.

[John Lester]

Yep. With Joe.

[David Ross]

With Joe. And they.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Seattle.

[David Ross]

They're playing Seattle Sunday night baseball and they want to give the starters a rest. Right.

[John Lester]

And I think we had won the first two games. We were going for the sweep.

[David Ross]

Oh, bro. We were rolling.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We were rolling.

[John Lester]

We were back.

[David Ross]

We were rolling. So we bring up a starter to do a spot start.

[John Lester]

And also nothing against Brian Mattis. It's not Brian Madison's fault.

[David Ross]

No. It's just our team.

[John Lester]

Okay, just reiterate.

[David Ross]

Our team was so solidified. Right. There's nothing that can break us. Well, we bring up for a spot start to give the guys a rest, and everyone's like, why? With. Why with us? Like, this is working. And he ends up giving up a bunch of runs early. And we come back and that comeback was like, probably the biggest moment I think, of the season for us of like, that was a good one. Nothing can stop us because I know the starters were all kind of pissed off, like, you're skipping my turn. Like you're messing with our routine. You guys are creatures of habit.

[John Lester]

Well, it wasn't only that. It's the fact of. It's almost like when you're rolling and Joe's like, hey, I'm gonna give you a day.

[David Ross]

No, no, no, it didn't happen. It didn't happen.

[John Lester]

You know what I'm saying? Like, no, now it's not when I'm rolling, you roll me out there until I don't have it anymore. And that's kind of the starter. Because we had pitched so bad leading up to the break. And we all came back and it was like, we're back.

[David Ross]

They were pissed.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

I remember the starting staff. And it wasn't like legit.

[John Lester]

Yeah. It's because we were. We were back. We were rolling. Everybody was. It was. We were feeding off each other. It was going. It was. It was good vibes. And we all knew we had that off day coming up. And then every. You just follow the off day. Right. Everybody just gets that extra day. Well, they wanted to give us two extra days because. Go ahead. Sorry.

[David Ross]

No, no, it. It's. And so we come back in this game on Sunday night baseball, which at the time was the biggest deal to have, Sunday night baseball. And we're rallying. Right. And the old school way, when you're rallying, the starters are in the clubhouse throwing back some pops, having some rally beers. So not only did you have a suicide squeeze, but I want to know

[Anthony Rizzo]

a suicide squeeze to win the game. I've still got my shirt. I should have brought day bun to win.

[David Ross]

Johnny, we bring Lester in what was like the 10th or 11th? Is it extra innings? We'll check the table for a suicide squeezed walk off Wind, like, big comeback. Had to be a few pops deep because you were always for the boys. But it was such a significant moment for us. Looking back because of the unity that we all came and afterwards. What happened afterwards is something you never see and you probably will never see again with walking into the clubhouse with Theo.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I got so much respect for Theo.

[John Lester]

I do, too. I mean, I had respect for him, you know, before. And in any profession, you're going to have disagreements with your bosses. Right. Like, totally. Nature. That's life. But for him to come down and be like, hey, that's on me.

[David Ross]

He. He was apologizing to our team. To the whole team.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And it wasn't anything against Brian Mattis. Great dude.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

It was just what our team was building. And then he just. He kind of. They claimed him off waivers and he came up for just a spot start. And it was like him saying that to us was like, wow. Like, this is. This is another reason why we're so special. Another reason why we're going to win the last game of the year.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. His accountability in that moment was.

[David Ross]

Which you just don't see. He's. He's Theo Epstein. He's, you know, hall of Famer. Yeah, he's a Hall of Famer. And he's incredible. So come to find out, the next trip, which we all knew was going on. Mr. Lester, the most generous player I've ever played with in my entire career.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The greatest road trip of all time.

[David Ross]

Of all time. We're going out west. We're going to Oakland. We have an off day in Oakland. Thursday off day. So we fly out Wednesday. Wednesday night we land. Or Wednesday day game. We land Thursday at San Francisco Airport. John has a private plane for all the boys. There's eight of us to fly to pebble beach to play. Pebble beach two night stay, right?

[John Lester]

Yeah, we got in that night, played the next day.

[Anthony Rizzo]

No, we flew out after. Yeah, because I.

[John Lester]

That's. That was the whole point of the. Of the. Of the. Why I got mad at the pitching change. Okay. Yes, we were rolling. Personally, I was mad because I was supposed to pitch the following day, I think the second day in. In Oakland. But because of the pitching change, my day got. No, that doesn't make sense. I was supposed to pitch the Wednesday day game. That's what it was. And because of the start on Sunday, I get pushed back to the Friday game in Oakland. So Theo tells us this. This is before the whole Sunday night baseball game. And I go. I just. I raised my hand. He's telling us. I'm like eighth grader. Hey, Theo, I have a question. Listen, I have set up around at pebble beach for eight dudes, okay? We have hotel rooms. We're staying there. I've got the rounds taken care of, and I got a plane picking us

[David Ross]

up and dropping us off.

[John Lester]

And dropping us off. Mind you, it's a 27 second flight. And he looks at me and he goes, so you're playing golf on Thursday? I said, well, that's my question. I'm supposed to pitch on Friday now, because you with the rotation, you with my golf, you with pet, not my golf, you with pebbles.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And all the boys.

[John Lester]

And all the boys. And I'm like, theo, I can't possibly sit on the plane and watch seven guys get off the plane and walk onto a plane and fly down there

[Anthony Rizzo]

that I'm paying for.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And he goes, tom was. Yeah, good point.

[John Lester]

The flight. He was. And I go, theo, dude, like, what do you got? He goes, well, are you good to play? Your body fine? I said, yeah. He goes, go play.

[David Ross]

I love him.

[John Lester]

I was like, all right. He goes, when are you guys getting back? I go, we'll be Back. As soon as we're done, we're flying back. We'll be in. We got back for dinner. We went out to dinner.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, John paid for.

[David Ross]

Yeah, we're all together.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We're all.

[David Ross]

This is.

[Anthony Rizzo]

John paid for.

[David Ross]

This is now August. Like, we're together forever. And we go to Pebble Beach. We play. We hang out all night there, like, to the wee hours of the morning there. We play golf, breakfast.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Flying the.

[John Lester]

On the.

[Anthony Rizzo]

On the patio right there.

[David Ross]

Fly in that night, and we still go to dinner. That's how much we wanted to be together. Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And we were there. John, as great as he was, he sometimes cut some corners. And he. Not only did he buy us all eight rooms, but I was the guy who kept him in check. He got us partial view rooms. And it was like, john, if we're gonna do this, you got the plane. You're gonna give me a partial view. Like a partial view suite. It was a suite, partial view. So I'm just wearing them out, right? Partial view. Partial view. And we get there, the partial view is like, there's a little parking lot, and then it's all ocean and cliff.

[John Lester]

It was a view of a parking lot with a little bit of ocean over the top of it.

[David Ross]

No, it was more ocean than. But I panned and, like, made it look like John, this partial fuse. Like, look at these rooms. And he wore me out. And I wore him out about having to walk. But that trip, I still have that picture of all of us in the sand.

[John Lester]

In the sand trap.

[Anthony Rizzo]

In, like, me, too.

[David Ross]

I got a favor in the house.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Everybody's posing skis. Posing. It was me, us three. Miggy, KB Hensky, Arietta, Arietta, Lackey, right? And I was three. Unbelievable. And we left, there, went.

[David Ross]

Go to dinner.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Go to dinner, win, beat the out of Oakland. Friday night, day game, Saturday.

[David Ross]

Meanwhile, we're in the middle right now of what turned out to be 13 out of 14.

[John Lester]

And.

[David Ross]

And this was. We went 11 over. This is all the stuff that's going on off the field.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Saturday, we have a day game. We beat Oakland. John's got a race boat racing. Got a sprinter van. That sends us down to San Francisco 49ers.

[John Lester]

Big up to VJ. Police.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Escort.

[David Ross]

Escort Kenny Chesney concert.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Chesney concert. Met the head coach, walks around the facilities, party with Chesney.

[David Ross]

Sammy Hagar's there. We're hanging out backstage.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Go back, sweep Oakland on Sunday and head home. Like, that was like, literally the best road trip.

[John Lester]

That was a good one.

[David Ross]

It was A straight.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That was the best one, bro.

[David Ross]

It was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I tell that story.

[David Ross]

I think what people don't understand is how much we enjoyed life that year off the field.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Like it was like we got to the field and we were excited to play together and we were equally excited for what was about to happen.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Well, I don't think Joe gets enough credit for the mindset of which he created of Be your.

[David Ross]

Be your.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Have fun off the field and you're going to be better at your job when you come to work. Like that was such a different kind of mindset than a lot of managers like living and breathing baseball 24 7. It's nice like coming to work every single day knowing it's like, yeah, I. We've done a lot of fun stuff and off the field that when we come we still want to hang out. And now we. We're a tighter knit group. When you come together and want to get to work and, and play hard and focus for one.

[John Lester]

And to your point, to that, I think Joe did a really good job with the, the schedule and the times of which we got to the field.

[David Ross]

Sure.

[John Lester]

Right. Like on a random Tuesday and We've got a 78 7pm game and he's like, all right. Little League week.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. American Legion week.

[David Ross]

Shout out to Davey Martinez too.

[John Lester]

That. Yeah.

[David Ross]

Because Joe handled the media so well and us. But Davey ran that asylum of communicating.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

You love the asylum.

[David Ross]

Prisoners run the asylum. I've said it my. For my whole career. True. If they don't, it's not a good team. If the team's not controlled from within, it's not a great team. Yeah. But Joe. But I remember coming in one day, I think I was at your house or something and we were just pounding wine. I think.

[John Lester]

What was the screaming start with this.

[David Ross]

You opened up a screaming eagle for us or something.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

A crazy bottle of wine. And I thought, I thought it could have been the potatoes or the steak that we had that night that made me a little fuzzy the next morning.

[John Lester]

But it's always the steak.

[David Ross]

Yeah. It could have been the wine. I go into Joe's office and I'm able to have a conversation with him like a friend. And I'm like, Joe, last night we're at Lester's. I believe it was there. And I'm. We drank so much wine. Oh, brother. He's like, how you feeling today? I'm, I'm good. Like he. Yeah, just get through it. You'll be fine. I go out and have a great game, but like, how can you say that to your manager? Because that's the environment he created. Sure. You know what I mean? It was like, there's nothing better than that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I want to get to one of my favorite games because I've never asked you the story.

[David Ross]

The.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The last game of the season, Sunday Night Baseball, St. Louis. We're going to the postseason, and Joe

[David Ross]

takes me out of the game.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Joe comes out. You're carving. We're up and three to one. Three to one. Like the seventh, right? I mean, it was late, and you still had. Your pitches were down. Joe, I think we got one out. And Joe. Here comes Joe out of the dugout. I look over, I'm like, we got two.

[John Lester]

We got two out.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We got two out, too. I'm like, what the he doing out here? Like, wait, Johnny's rolling. Like, so. I'm like, on one of my piss. Like, I played mad, right? Like, I was definitely.

[John Lester]

Oh, we know, we know.

[David Ross]

I know.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I know. I get this reputation of like, oh, Rossi's so nice, Grandpa. These guys hated me. Just so everybody knows I loved you. It was. It's still it. He's coming out, and I'm on one of my. My rants to the mound, and you're just. You're staring at me, and I'm thinking, what's he doing?

[David Ross]

What's Joe doing?

[Anthony Rizzo]

And you're like, he's taking you out of the game. Or Joe grabs me. He's like, hey, I've never done this before. You went in his office and told him to take me out of the game. I want to know how that whole thing went down.

[John Lester]

So nice.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And I appreciate. I appreciate that, but I want. I. I've never heard how I can imagine a player coming in my office and going, hey, we're going to take this. We'll take this guy out of the game.

[John Lester]

So, night before sending home, you know, Fair and I are just talking or whatever, and I look at her, and I go, hey, what do you think about this? I said, if everything goes well tomorrow, having Joe taking Rossi out of the game before he takes me out, I was like, but it's got to go perfect. It can't be. It can't be the fourth inning when I've got 87 pitches and we're losing six to three or whatever. I said, it's got to go perfect. And she's like, yeah, go talk to Joe. See what he says. So, okay. So I get there early the next day, planning on having to talk to Joe for, like, 30, 40 minutes. Right. Like, give him the whole spiel. He's going to talk me down off this ledge. And analytics say you can't do this or whatever. And I go into Joe, I go, hey, Joe, I got an idea. He said, yeah. I said, now, same thing. If everything goes perfect tonight, what do you think about taking Rossi out for his last game before you take me out? Let him get. Let him walk off the field, get his love, because I love it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's all he said.

[David Ross]

Any idea you ever brought to Joe?

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

He was like.

[John Lester]

And I sat there, I was like,

[Anthony Rizzo]

I just can't imagine how that.

[John Lester]

That's it. He goes, yeah, I love it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I remember starting pulling the mask down, starting to cry right in front of you guys.

[David Ross]

You hit a homer that game.

[John Lester]

Joe's like this, and he's like in your face and you got your mask off and you're like looking at me and looking at him, and he goes, taking you out of the game and you didn't know what to do. And I'm like waiting for like a hug or like a bro dap or something. And you just go, I love you guys. It just stormed.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I was out, bro. I was about to melt down. Like, I, like, I saw the look in you guys face and you were just like staring through me and I'm like, I love you. I'm out. I almost forgot to hug Joe and everything.

[David Ross]

It's another example of the things that John did for us.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

That no one knew about.

[John Lester]

Exactly.

[David Ross]

No one knew that Jon did that. Like, no one knew that you went to Joe's office and pulled him out. And nor did you want the credit for that afterwards too. But these are all the things behind the scene that make a championship team. That it doesn't. You can't quantify it. It just happens.

[John Lester]

Right.

[David Ross]

And for Joe to do that, for you to be able to have the confidence to go tell Joe this. Right. It's just all of these things come together to make it where the reason you want to do that for him is because you guys were brothers on the field and you care about him and you got your Runway of your hundredth home run, the Grandpa Rossi, the whole thing, the whole retirement tour, it's not about me. No, it's not about you.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But let's get back to no one.

[David Ross]

No one gives the standing ovation to a backup catcher.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Great point.

[David Ross]

You know what I mean?

[John Lester]

Great point.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Great point. And they don't even get to get all his at Bass.

[John Lester]

Right.

[David Ross]

Exactly. Because of John.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So we go into playoffs and playoffs. And you put us on your back, bro. Like, I mean, we had, obviously our whole pitch staff was really good and.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And Arietta was on a two year run that like I've never seen. And you, you're different in the playoffs, right? Like, what is that? Like, I think people need to learn from your mentality and you're talking about routine, you're talking about your experiences. I always have a lot of lot to do with that. But bro, you're dominant in the postseason.

[John Lester]

Looking back on it, I think a little bit of, a little bit of it is, like I said, I'm not. I never looked to see who I was pitching against. I didn't care. Right. Like Adam Wayne Wright, Annabelle Sanchez, Joe the Barber. It doesn't matter, right? Like, I'm not competing, I'm competing against him, but I'm not pitching against him. So that in my mind never scared me. You know what I'm saying? And then I just, I loved when it mattered. Right. Like the season gets so long. Beginning of the season, you're so hyped, you're ready to go, you're amped, you feel good. You should be somewhat locked in with your stuff. You get to the middle of season, it's kind of dictating which way the year is going for you. Whatever you get to August. You hate everybody.

[David Ross]

Sure, Angry August. Angry August.

[John Lester]

Angry August. You hate everybody. You hate your family, you hate your, your teammates. You hate.

[David Ross]

You could say whatever you want and

[John Lester]

it's, you hate everybody. September comes around, you get that little boost where you call up the young fellers. They're there, they're get to, especially in our situation, to 16. Those young guys got to experience some first for them, which is cool.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You're in a playoff hunt.

[John Lester]

You're in a playoff hunt. We clinch early. When you clinch early, it's good and bad because then you're like, all right, I'm preparing. I'm still trying to win the games, but I'm also not trying to get hurt.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

You know, so you're kind of dodging and weaving your way through September. Now those lights come on and the weather changes. It's getting dark early. You have flyovers all of a sudden, you know, you got the big flag for the anthem. People are there. The stadium's filled before.

[David Ross]

Yeah, goosebumps right now.

[John Lester]

The stadiums filled before the first pitch. Everybody's ass is in their seat before the first pitch because they want to see playoff baseball. The crowd is into it, first inning, two outs, three, two. Right. Like now you, your senses are amped.

[David Ross]

So romantic.

[John Lester]

It is, right?

[David Ross]

You're really, you're getting me going.

[John Lester]

That's why I love baseball though, especially like I got spoiled early in my career to go to the playoffs so much and be a part of it and have responsibility, you know, I wasn't a fourth. I wasn't, you know, the.

[David Ross]

You were the guy.

[John Lester]

Yeah. Yeah, it was. Here. Here's game one. Go get him, kid.

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[David Ross]

Let's talk about game one because it was cold, it was windy. Which game one in NLDS 2016.

[John Lester]

Oh, at. Wrigley.

[David Ross]

At Wrigley. We're playing the Giants. The Giants are coming off their even year. Was it three years in a row? Three even years in a row. So we're now 16. This is going to be their fourth. They won in 14. And that's real. And it's real that we have one hundred and eight year curse over us too, which we handled really well. But that was real because we didn't win. And you get asked about it all, all the time and you just add a little bit extra juice.

[John Lester]

Yep.

[David Ross]

So we go into game one and Jon shoves. What do you go. You go eight innings, five strikeouts, we end up winning the game One nothing on.

[John Lester]

Javi hit a six mile homer that hit the basket.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The basket barely got in.

[David Ross]

I mean.

[John Lester]

And I still don't think he's touched first base. He's still, he's still standing at home.

[David Ross]

We all knew it was a homer too. And it barely got over. And we win one nothing. But the tone that you set for that game set the tone for the rest of the playoffs because we do.

[John Lester]

We.

[David Ross]

We boat race pretty much all season. We have a little hiccup in July. We have a great second half. We kind of start amping up for the playoffs and then game one, boom. We get hit in the face with Cuaito and we win one nothing. But that game set the tone that, the energy there. We, we had a back pick there backpack game one that I think you

[John Lester]

threw a guy that no one knows. Like we Second, too.

[David Ross]

This is how fearless we were. And this is how amazing Joe was that he trusted us. We do a back pick in game one, where a guy's bunting. I come up in the guy's face. The guy at first takes a big lead. Javi comes around on the back, back pick him. And you trust Javi, you trust Javi, you trust John, you trust. You're trusting four guys there to do their job, and we get a huge back pick there. That just another example of us playing fearless, us being too young. What would you always say? Yeah, we were too dumb to. Or what would you always say about young and dumb? Yeah, that was John's favorite line. Because we were all, I think, 26 or 25 and under. We're the second youngest team. But that sets a tone. We win, then lds, we go into game one of the nlcs Dodgers. And you set the tone again there. You remember what you did there.

[John Lester]

I remember game five more than I remember game one.

[David Ross]

Let's see, game one of the NLC has six innings, one run. We went 84. Miggy Montero, grand slam.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That was sick. That was a chess match between Joe and Dave Roberts.

[David Ross]

Yeah, Biggie. Yep, Miggy. And we'll get to this when we talk to Miggy. But Miggy was for the. The whole team. If you weren't playing, you had a mission, and that was to get runs. And how do we get runs, John?

[John Lester]

A little something like to call rally beers.

[David Ross]

Rally beers or shots or. Because in 16, I believe it started in 15, when we swept a series, the boys would take shots. And if we ever got into a little rut and we were kind of grinding, those shots became instead of after the game, sometimes they were before the game. On occasion.

[John Lester]

On occasion, not very often, but it happened.

[David Ross]

It did happen when we needed it. You can't go to the well too much or it doesn't work.

[John Lester]

And the crazy thing about Miggy is I think earlier in that day, he couldn't walk.

[David Ross]

He just got a cortisone shot that day.

[John Lester]

It was that day, right?

[David Ross]

Yeah. And he was still rallying for the boys. So he comes in and it's that grand slam. I don't even think he really knew his name at the time.

[John Lester]

Joe. Joe should have thrown the heater.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

He hung the slide.

[David Ross]

I was crushed. But that was electric.

[John Lester]

Yeah. I mean, dude, the whole playoff scene, like, whether. And don't take this the wrong way, but whatever side you're on, whether you win or you lose, you will never forget being in the Playoffs, you're right. Never. And the further you go, the more electric and the more your senses are awake. Like you're, you're. You're hyped. You get to the field, you're hyped. Soon as you get there.

[David Ross]

The closer you get with your teammates. Yeah, the closer the families get. Because all the families are rallying together too.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, the fans. You're getting out of your car, the fans are there.

[John Lester]

What's that in the playoffs?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Like you're getting out of your car. Like the.

[John Lester]

That's what I'm saying. Like, I'll never forget. I'll never forget game five. I'm jumping ahead of the. Of the cs. But game five of the World Series, you know, not very often in Wrigley do you walk out of the. Of the dugout to go warm up, which was if I think what we played seven o' clock games during the play. Yeah. Because Chicago was one hour behind, so seven. So I'd be out there at 6:20, walking out of the dugout. Right. You couldn't see a seat in that place.

[David Ross]

Wrigley's special.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

And they were.

[David Ross]

I mean, bro, that nlcs, because everybody

[John Lester]

was standing, but you couldn't see seats. You know what I'm saying? Like it's for warm ups.

[David Ross]

We hadn't been to the World Series in 60 plus.

[John Lester]

No, I get that. I know it's the World Series.

[David Ross]

No, I'm saying we in nlcs, we haven't at that point haven't gone. So when we win, you win game five. Right. And then game six, we win. We beat Kershaw. Double play, end of the game to

[John Lester]

go back to game five. I think probably one of the best postseason games I've ever thrown.

[David Ross]

Bro, you dominate it.

[John Lester]

That's. That was like. I knew going into that game I was locked.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I want to talk about that. Let's. Let's walk the. I think like you got a form one record in World Series games and the one loss in Cleveland. Game one. We went. I went us together. So heavy scouting report.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And what did we say after that game? Like you were having to throw it in a Dixie cup by the second time through the lineup because we're sinking away. We're change up back door, trying to cut it in off. They were giving up on end. And your bread and butter was. I'm going to establish. I remember we got an argument in Boston about it. I'm going to establish my four seamer in. That's when I'm at my best. That locks Me in mechanically. And that gets everything. Everybody looking in for my. And then I can go cutter off that I can sink away. Everything works after that. And I learned that over time and then got to the World Series in game one. And we went so heavy. Scout report. Remember everybody. The everybody was like sink down the way no strike breaking balls change up different things like that. And we had. You had to grow. We grinded through that game. You grinded.

[John Lester]

But so to go. You just said something. It reminded me and I don't know if you remember this. The reason I said that to you is because the very first time you caught me in 2013.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, I know.

[John Lester]

You came back. He. He was on a Hawaiian vacation all year with his.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I had a good question.

[John Lester]

He had scrambled brains.

[David Ross]

He had scrambled easy. Both of us had potato there for years.

[John Lester]

Is he didn't know what planet he was on and went to Hawaii. He came back all tan, you know, in the tan World Series. I'm not going to lie. The tan line was a little weird when we got in the shower. That's all I'm saying. It was a little awkward.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I didn't know you guys don't wear a thong.

[John Lester]

I didn't know what kind of bathing suit he had on. But. So 13 started out really good for me. And then I hit a lull kind of like we're talking about in 16 for us in July. Whatever struggled. Beginning of September, we're facing Detroit. Do you remember this?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Yep.

[John Lester]

Facing Detroit. I know I'm getting off topic. We'll get right back there. Never caught me except for spring training comes in.

[David Ross]

This is where the fair started.

[John Lester]

This is when. This is when Detroit's rolling. They got Sanchez, they got Prince, Corey Hunter, Victor Martinez, Miggy, Omar.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And Vonte was a really good player.

[John Lester]

Like murders row. Okay, no disrespect to the Yankees, but so we get in there and I'm dude, I'm like, I don't know what the I'm gonna do. Like these guys plus Victor Martinez, Tory Hunter and Miguel Cabrera's ops against me is a combined 7 million.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He never pitched good again.

[David Ross]

Mickey loved when you pitched 7 million.

[John Lester]

Okay, so we sit down and I've got all my notes and I look at Rossi and he goes, hey, this is what we're gonna do. He goes, every. Every bit of film I watch, everybody's kind of off with these guys. They're going back door breaking ball. This, this, this, this. They fall behind 212031. Then guess what happens. Parakaya right like, now, that's where the damage comes. He goes, we're gonna come out, and we're gonna throw the ball as hard as we can, and we're going to throw it right at their hands till they make an adjustment. Cool. The only lefty in the lineup was Prince Feeler. All right, here we go. Rossi sat back there, heater in just

[Anthony Rizzo]

over and over again.

[John Lester]

And just the first three innings. And, like, I was pissed. Like, I was still trying to figure it out. I was blowing, like, 96, 95, 96. Just Miguel's jumping out of the way. Next thing you know, got curveball under chase. We end up winning the game.

[Anthony Rizzo]

They're swinging at the.

[John Lester]

And that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

The cutter.

[John Lester]

What that did in 13 was then all right to go back learning. Went about establishing. Establishing your fastball, establishing your cutter, which

[Anthony Rizzo]

made everything else, and it locked you in mechanically. You learned later on, too. It's like just. Just.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

So we roll up game six at Wrigley for the nlcs, right? You just win game five. You go seven innings, I think one run, we have a chance to go to the World Series. And we fell short the year before. We have first ballot, hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw on the mound, and we roll him, right?

[Anthony Rizzo]

And Kyle Hendrick deals.

[David Ross]

Yeah, the professor went deals. Our whole staff.

[John Lester]

He dealt two games. He got the loss in the. In game two, nothing.

[David Ross]

Well, we were down 2:1 in that series.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's right.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

So we went off Kershaw, the double play. And I just remember Wrigley being so loud and that celebration and you winning the mvp. Co MVP of that series, and it's like, what does that mean to you? You sign there, you have this massive deal. You put so much pressure on yourself. In 15, we exceed all expectations. We're going to the World Series. Job's not finished. 108 year curse. You're the guy. You just went MVP. Like, what are you feeling?

[John Lester]

I feel like I'm feeling at the time like I'm doing my job. You know what I'm saying? Like, not to downplay it, but I feel like I'm doing what I was supposed to be doing, you know, I think in 15. I know we're jumping around a lot, but in 15, I felt like I needed to win the World Series in April.

[David Ross]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. You're trying to live up to that contract.

[John Lester]

Yeah, I'm trying to make. I'm trying to make.

[David Ross]

You're still new. You're also grumpy and unapproachable and all these things, allegedly.

[John Lester]

But yeah, I mean, all those things. Thanks, Riz. But yeah, I mean, I feel like at the time, you're like, all right, I'm on a personal level, you're like, all right, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, right? Like, the pieces are falling now. At the end of the day, I'm just throwing this out there. I'm three for three on World Series. Okay? I've never gone to the World. I remember, I just wanted Black's famous line. Remember he said when we got to the World Series, he said, hey, Tony, I ain't never been to a World Series. I hadn't won, so I have. How's that second place ring? Anyway, so. So anyway, I just feel like at the time, I'm like, all right, we've accomplished half of the goal. We've got to the World Series, right? That's. Sometimes that's half the battle. Totally is getting there. All jokes aside, but we've got there. Okay? We've accomplished goal one of getting there. Now goal two is to win the Right. Like. Like, we didn't come here for. To lose, right? We came here to win.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Right?

[John Lester]

Probably in my. Obviously I'm biased to this, but I think one of the greatest World Series in the history of the game.

[David Ross]

Oh, hands down. Hands down. There's not even the ups and downs, the droughts. Both teams.

[John Lester]

Both teams. The. The cat and mouse game. Two great managers going at each other as far as game planning, pitching, matchups, you know, all this stuff. Starting pitching, offense, stolen bases, everything. Like, then it ends up at game seven, which is my first game seven. It was incredible. Oh, roller coaster of emotions.

[David Ross]

Let's not skip out. You win the MVP of NLCS that night. That party at John's house was elite. Okay? Basically, the whole team's there, the whole city's rioting. Everyone's just happy to be back in the World Series. We still know we have a job to do, but we celebrate. Celebrated everything there.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It felt. It felt. I don't know how you guys felt when we won the cs because we had lost it the year before. I felt like, boom. Like, that was. That was a sense of relief for me. It was like, okay, now we're going to the World Series. Just roll it all out there, whatever. But getting further than we did in 15 to me, was so important because of the steps we had taken so fast.

[John Lester]

And especially for the young guys, it's like confidence.

[David Ross]

Right?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Right.

[John Lester]

Like you feel like. And I know there's guys that have done this where it's like I can't get past the ds, you know what I'm saying? It's like there's a roadblock there, and

[Anthony Rizzo]

maybe that's why break that roadblock.

[John Lester]

It's like. Like, oh, oh, we're here. This is still the same game. We're good. Yeah. So funny story. After game six, we win, celebrate all that stuff, drive back to that. I mean, you know, I lived a mile from Wrigley. Wife calls me, says, hey, there's a group of people in the front yard TPing our tree.

[David Ross]

I remember this.

[John Lester]

Pull around. We've got a alleyway that you pulled into the garage. Berto that we lived on was a one way street going that way. Pull around, go down the one way street this way, pull up. I'm like, hey, what are y' all doing? Oh, we just wanted to celebrate. And I go by TPing my tree.

[David Ross]

Didn't you invite him in for a beer? Yeah.

[John Lester]

I go, if you guys want to celebrate. I go, you guys want to celebrate? Knock on my damn door, I'll come have a beer with you.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's great.

[John Lester]

And the one lady goes, we are so sorry. We'll start cleaning up. They cleaned up all the.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You came in out of beer?

[John Lester]

Well, I. I parked and came out, and we cheered and had a drink

[David Ross]

and then went, well, that party was first off, I have to tell you, set the scene on John's house. John bought. Not only did John buy a house, he bought the lot next door. It was a house as well. He knocked it down. So his dog famously quoted, and I quote, I knocked it down, so my dog had a yard to in. Okay, that's the type of.

[John Lester]

I may have just told you that, but.

[David Ross]

Okay, well, not anymore. Not anymore. This is what the. This is what the people get John. But John has this party, and we're all there, and we're all celebrating, and next thing you know, we're on the back patio. Rossi's playing the guitar. My dad's there playing the guitar. Eddie Vetti. Eddie Vedders there starts jamming out for us in the backyard. Like, I think he's saying what, The Cubs go all the way, right?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Someday we'll go all the way.

[John Lester]

Yes.

[David Ross]

And he's just doing an acoustic.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Rossi's playing. My dad's playing. It was one of my greatest memories because my dad loves playing the guitar, too. And all of us coming together there and just knowing that the job's not finished. But we're. We. We got this, like, we were so together. And then we roll into game one.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, because I. Because me and your dad were playing. Our thing now is we opened for Eddie Vedder just so. Everybody did.

[John Lester]

Yeah, you did.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I opened.

[David Ross]

You're an opener.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I'm an opener.

[John Lester]

You're an opener.

[David Ross]

And we go. We go into game one of the World Series. You're setting the tone for us.

[John Lester]

Didn't do a very good job. We don't. We set the tone.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That was my fault. I take full responsibility. Me and. Me and Borzello. Mike Borzello.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Remember, we went. So. Scouting report. But then in game five, you came out and we. You punched out the side going, I'm being me. I'm being.

[David Ross]

Game 5 was the hardest game of the series, hands down. Game seven was its own fairy tale, but game five. But let's go back to game three. The first game at Wrigley in what, 60 plus years?

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

The atmosphere there was so, like, dead. Coming off the NLCS and everyone partying and celebrating. It was like, we get there in game three, we're tied 1:1, and the atmosphere was almost like everyone was just so nervous.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Like, they were nervous.

[David Ross]

I don't know if it was just me, and I was projecting on the fans, but, like, the energy in the stadium was flat. We didn't really give him a lot to cheer for. Granted. But we go down, we lose game three.

[John Lester]

Yep.

[David Ross]

We lose game four, and we're like. Like we just got swept a year before. We ain't doing this. And you come out in game five, and we get. I think we gave you an early, early lead.

[John Lester]

Well, how could you at home?

[David Ross]

Well, you got us through the first. An early lead is the first three innings, John.

[John Lester]

Oh, my bad. I thought you, like, on the first inning.

[David Ross]

KB Hit a homer.

[John Lester]

No, it was until the fourth or fifth inning.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Third base power. Hit a.

[John Lester]

Hit a homer. Early second inning.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Remember, we went in so much, and finally I was like, okay, we've established in. When Ramirez. Ramirez, yeah. Hit. Hit a solo home run. We went heater in second, one heater in homer. I was like, okay, now we've established that game. Now we go.

[David Ross]

That game was a gauntlet. We won three two. You go six innings, one run, Chappie comes in, I think goes two plus.

[John Lester]

Yeah. I'll tell you this. I. I don't want to say it's the only game, but I think it's one of the only games that I have looked at the pitching coach and taken myself out of the game. Your gas was realistic with yeah. Was realistic with myself.

[David Ross]

Thank God.

[John Lester]

Yeah, I'm done. So.

[David Ross]

Because six innings, one running, we're riding. You're a bull.

[John Lester]

I'd just given up the second run. I grinded in the sixth.

[David Ross]

Okay.

[John Lester]

And somebody hit a base, hit up the middle. They score. And I want to say it was Lynn. No. Yeah. Lindor got the base hit up the middle, and then you threw him out at second to get out of the inning. And we got down there, and Boss came to check on me. I was at, like, 90 something pitches. And I go, boss, I said, I'm. I can give you as much as you want next inning.

[David Ross]

I remember.

[John Lester]

But also, don't put me in there. And if I give a base hit, take me out and. And have that reliever come with somebody on. I said, if. If. If you guys are questioning it, give that guy a clean inning. And he's like, all right, fair enough. And so he went. And they.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So much emotions leading up to that game. Like, that was a much, bro.

[David Ross]

Well, we knew. We knew we win game five, we're going to roll in game six. That was our mentality, because we saw Tomlin, he kind of diced us up a little bit in game three.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Remember, the wind was blowing out, and it was him and Hendrix. And I was like, oh, take the over in this game. Yeah, yeah.

[John Lester]

Two. One game.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, it was like two to one. Two to one.

[John Lester]

No, game six. No.

[David Ross]

Game six after we won game five was a huge exhale, like, oh, we're gonna roll game six. Game seven's a crapshoot.

[John Lester]

Right, right.

[David Ross]

And we did. We came out.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Arietta was.

[David Ross]

We came out in Game 6, and we popped off, and we're all celebrating early. And I remember Rossi being so pissed off that, like, we're all, like, happy

[Anthony Rizzo]

and the game's not over.

[David Ross]

Pacing up and down the dugout. I don't even think you were playing.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I wasn't.

[David Ross]

Yeah, exactly.

[John Lester]

No.

[David Ross]

And relax.

[John Lester]

We go up a long way to go.

[David Ross]

What was it, the seventh or eighth Inn. Eighth inning, I think.

[John Lester]

And they brought in.

[David Ross]

Again, this podcast is not about me. It's about the reunion. But I had a home run, World Series home run. And we go up, like, five. Five or six runs. And Joe left Chappie, and. And that was like, the first real time. First time where, like, you know, during the year, you get a lot of bickering. Everyone questions a manager at some point. Yeah, but that was the first time where, like, the whole dugout came together and was like, joe, get this guy out of the game like we. This game's over. Chappie's still in like. Let's get him out.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Your homer.

[David Ross]

Get Travis Wood up.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Your homer made it over. When you hit the homer, boom. Got it.

[David Ross]

Mic drop.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And I dropped the bat too. Again, it's really not about me. But I did drop. It's. It's a good picture I have in the office. Shocker. But that's like the first time where we were like get him out of the game. Yeah, right. Because Chappie was our dog. He was our dog. He came over at the deadline and just I the what he did for us. The respect I have for him.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And then we go into game seven

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[David Ross]

We're all ready to go, right?

[John Lester]

Like baskets of emotions in that game.

[David Ross]

Basket, bro. That game was. But what was your. What was your mindset like coming in? Cuz you just pitched so you're kind of on short rest.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Me you lacking area to go down.

[John Lester]

Well before that. Hold on. Game six, we win. Joe calls me in the office. Hey, how are you? Fine. Why, what do you need? We're. This is what we're doing tomorrow. Kyle's gonna go five and you're gonna either four or five and we're. You're gonna bridge to Chappie and then hopefully we got the trophy. Right. That was jokes. What Joe said. I said cool, Skip, I'll be ready and I'll be ready whenever you need me. Cool. So now I'm going to bed knowing I'm pitching, which I think looking back on it was a blessing because now your nerves go down.

[David Ross]

There's no question. There's no cutting in.

[John Lester]

Yeah. Like I'm not walking down there and going it when the phone rings, is it me?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Right, right.

[John Lester]

You know, so like that helped. So go ahead. Sorry.

[Anthony Rizzo]

No, but well, going down there and I went down there with you guys

[David Ross]

and I remember you were like the actual. He was like the really the decision

[Anthony Rizzo]

maker because yeah, bought you got down there and just started like throwing a little bit. You want to take a while to warm up and I remember catching you and getting ready and then I was going down early and you were still going to be warmed up and Noble was catching you and I'm watching you pitch. I'm like, he's throwing BBs. Like, if this goes too long, he's going to be gassed. Is with my mind, right? Like, he is down.

[David Ross]

You're call down.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Boom, boom. No, I went in at the end of the inning, and Joe and Boz came up to me and was like, how's he look? I'm like, he looks great. But I wouldn't just extend. This was my advice. I was like, I wouldn't have him sit down there and throw bullets. Like, the bullets are coming out good. Whenever you're ready to bring him in, he's ready. Like, don't wait two innings.

[David Ross]

Well, you're supposed to come in on a clean inning.

[John Lester]

Supposed to come on a clean.

[David Ross]

You come in with what run around where.

[John Lester]

Where it all went on first. Where it all went awry was the third inning where Kyle kind of gave up a little bit of hard contact, and they scored the run. So it was one one, and the next they. They called down then, and they're like, go get ready. Mind you, before all of this started, before the game, I told Travis Wood, I said, woody, I don't know what the I'm doing down there, okay? I said, one. I said, one's the World Series. Two. I'm in the bullpen. I have. I have my routine that I'm going to try to stick to, but you can't, because it's. It's a. It's a damn game.

[David Ross]

Seven of them,

[Anthony Rizzo]

and I could go

[David Ross]

out last game of the season.

[John Lester]

And then once the phone rings or grenade goes off and everybody goes everywhere, and you're like, what do I do? Right? And so I told Woody before the game, I said, if you. You watch how many pitches I'm throwing, if I get to a point where I've thrown too many pitches, I want you to stand directly in front of me where I can't throw another pitch.

[David Ross]

So you imagine that. Imagine on the broadcast, Woody saying,

[John Lester]

john, I wish. I wish they would have got it. But there was a point where when you left and I was down there and it was just aimless throwing, then I was just throwing to throw.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You were loose.

[John Lester]

When I left, Woody came over and literally stood. Not like. Not like face to face, but like, he kind of stood off to my side to where I knew, okay, I'm done.

[David Ross]

Damn.

[John Lester]

And he stood there. And then, like, if I went to throw, he'd be like, nope. He's like, when that phone rings and they say that you're coming in, you fire three or four as hard as you can. And then you go in. And that's what we did.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And then you came in and I fucked it all up.

[John Lester]

And you. You died, bro.

[David Ross]

He died twice.

[John Lester]

He died.

[David Ross]

Killed me, bro. Kipness. What was it a swinging bun or

[Anthony Rizzo]

did he swinging buttons. Swinging two strike, cutter away. It went like this. I bust out. I think I blew a hammy in the. In the. In the process. Spin throw, air mail. He Kidnus runs into him. I'm like, I just got.

[David Ross]

Kim is a bowling ball, bro. He's short and compact. Yeah. Like. And I always said too, as a first baseman, because when balls go up the line, like, when it really matters,

[John Lester]

I'll stay in there.

[David Ross]

I'll stay in there.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, you hung in.

[David Ross]

And I felt so proud afterwards, because I actually did. But that bro, he ran me over.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. And I'm feeling great. I just got in this thing then. No strike. Breaking balls. We got a theme here. No strike. Breaking balls to Lindor. And I shake to the breaking ball and I'm like, all right, he's gonna

[John Lester]

bounce this 47ft and literally kill you. You died off a mass roll.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Roll my ankle. Go to get up. Doc Adams think I'm concussed. I'm stumbling everywhere. Two run score.

[David Ross]

Two run score on a pass ball. Probably never happened in World Series history before.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And I'm thinking, I just got in thing. I'm the defensive guy, and I just this all up. Like, what happened.

[David Ross]

But then you let off the next inning.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Right.

[David Ross]

Was that your last at bat?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Second. Second. I think I hit second the next inning.

[John Lester]

Okay.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

Is that Andrew Miller?

[David Ross]

Andrew Miller.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And I was everybody. Why do you show emotion? I'm like, thank God I got one back. I just let in too.

[David Ross]

Oh, so, bro, you threw what, three and a third? What was it? Three.

[John Lester]

Two and a third.

[David Ross]

Two and a third.

[John Lester]

Two and a third.

[David Ross]

To bridge the gap.

[John Lester]

To bridge the gap to Chappie. Yep. And I wish he wouldn't have taken me out because. Because Jose Ramirez does have good numbers off me. I think he's only got the one homer, but he's got some hits. But we had two outs in that inning, and we're up six to two or three at the time. Yeah, six to three. Well, yeah. So I. I would be coming in

[Anthony Rizzo]

after the crazy inning we came in. I had to hit. I'm taking off my stuff. And you looked at me, he's like, look. I was like, bro, you're fine. Your shit's great. I that up. Like, he's like, looked. I was like, bro, you're throwing great. Just like.

[John Lester]

Other than the 47 foot curveball that killed him.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But he had nasty stuff. You were lost.

[John Lester]

Other than that, you were locked. It was good. I mean, and then.

[David Ross]

And then we win, right? Chappie comes in. Raja Davis. It's the homer. We go down. Let's go.

[John Lester]

Before we win that story. Have I told you that story? When Roger Davis hit the homer.

[David Ross]

Oh, God, no.

[Anthony Rizzo]

No.

[David Ross]

I heard that either. But I do know that. Which no one knows. Sorry to cut you short. You grandpa.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That feels aggressive. You the finger point.

[David Ross]

I'm. I'm attacking you or the trust tree. You didn't call a slider.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

All playoffs, 12 are all this. Chapman.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Well, so like going back. One of my. One of my things that I held was I got taken out a lot when Chappie came in and he would do Miggy or Wilson. And so I didn't. The scouting report for Raje was the slider coming into him was bad and change ups were good. Well, I had never caught Chappie splitty and I didn't trust to throw it myself. Right. Especially with runners in scoring position. So I was just like. And in San Francisco, it worked great. I just threw heaters down and it was punchy, punchy, punchy or whatever it was. And so I'm just like, guy at second, I look at his bat, he's choked up.

[John Lester]

He's this far.

[Anthony Rizzo]

This far up on the bat. And I'm like, he's got to pop one of these heaters up.

[John Lester]

Right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It's 103. Like back then, not nobody threw 100.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

Right.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And I'm like, he's got two people. Yeah. And I'm like. So I'm just keep throwing down heaters. And I'm like. I remember getting in. I was like. To Mike Borsell, our catching guys, I was like, I should have thrown a slider. He said slider wasn't the pitch. Should. Don't split. I was like, it sounds like Borsy. But I'm like, well, I have never even caught. I didn't catch him that much. So it was like an insecurity of mine. Yeah. Of coming out in that moment of not. No. Not knowing what to. What to.

[John Lester]

To do.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And all the credit to Rajay. Like.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

I was gonna say also let's. Let's call spade a spade here. Like, Chappie threw the perfect pitch with him choked up down to his bat path.

[David Ross]

Sure.

[John Lester]

That he hit perfectly for a home run.

[David Ross]

Sure.

[John Lester]

You know what? I'm saying like.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But you're right. I called. I think it's 12. We should go by count. Like 12 heaters in a row.

[David Ross]

What'd you think when he hit?

[Anthony Rizzo]

But then when Miggy came in, he threw almost all sliders. Remember that? Chappie stayed in another inning and threw a ton of sliders.

[David Ross]

The fact that Chappie got through that's the night was is the unsung hero of the entire game.

[John Lester]

Well, imagine, imagine your, your emotional baggage, bro. You just gave up the game tying homer and now you got to go out for another inning and try to get three out, bro.

[David Ross]

Every, every time as a kid watching that 10 out of 10 times, the guy comes back out, he's gonna give it up 10 out of 10. So the fact that he was able

[John Lester]

to do that, and that's what I don't like though is everybody wants to talk about, about Chappie giving up that homer to tie the game. Let's let. No, forget that. Let's talk about him coming out and going 1, 2, 3, the next inning.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

Because that takes some freaking cojones, bro.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We rode it like they rod him. I mean he.

[David Ross]

And I'm more attacking up. Are the two biggest.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

If you talk to baseball people, that was the wrong thing to do is

[David Ross]

bring him back out.

[John Lester]

No, no, I'm more taken up. Yeah. It's in a baseball like if you talk like. No, you don't tag up on that. And I'm more tagged up and got to see second.

[David Ross]

Amora tagged up on a deep fly ball by KB Y. Which earlier in the game the wind turned around, which would have been a home run.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I thought KB Clipped that.

[David Ross]

And Almora, who was a rookie, had the wits about him to read where that ball was going. Understand that it's either a homer an out or probably a homer an out.

[Anthony Rizzo]

How high contributed on that?

[David Ross]

He goes and tags up and gets to second base. And then the rest.

[John Lester]

Most coaches are going to tell you halfway.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

And he went back and tagged up.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Which is the baseball with the base open.

[David Ross]

Walk me. And they go Zobris. And the rest is history. But the fact that Chappie can get through that. Then we have a 17 minute rain delay. But when Raja hit that home run,

[John Lester]

what do you think before Roger hit the homer after, you know, because kind of the rule of thumb is if you, as a, as a pitcher, if you get taken out of the inning and you have a runner on that's yours, you stay. You have to stay in the dugout. Till that run scores or they get out of the inning. So I gave up the hit to Jose Ramirez, who was their damn guy. Guy or Brandon? Guy or Guy. He could hit a damn cannonball for as long as that cannonball was coming from the left side. He could hit it. Hit the ball in the gap. Jose Ramirez scores. So it's six to four now, right? Roger had a two run homer.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Okay. Right. Yeah.

[David Ross]

Yes.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Three.

[John Lester]

Yep. Yep. So he hit the double. So I'm. I'm like, all right, I'm good. I'm going to the clubhouse. Well, I go into the clubhouse. You know, Cleveland's clubhouse. You got to go down five stairs and up 342 stairs to get up there. Well, I get up there, they've got the damn champagne.

[David Ross]

Oh, my God. I.

[John Lester]

They got the signs, World Series champs. They've got the. The.

[David Ross]

I walk to the clubhouse, too.

[John Lester]

They've got the. The damn, what you may call it the Saran Wrap over our lockers, the whole thing, right? So I kind of come in and I'm like, this is weird, you know?

[David Ross]

Why were you going in there? I'm just curious because I was done,

[John Lester]

and I was gonna go get out of my stuff and then come back down really well, and I have a pop, too.

[David Ross]

Okay.

[John Lester]

I'm done for the day. Dude, it's. It's.

[David Ross]

It's literally your job is. Season's over.

[John Lester]

My season's over. I cannot re. Enter, and there's no game eight. Okay? So I get in there, I'm taking my. I take one cleat off, I get my ankle tape off, and, you know, Raje's got pitch 37 from Chapman that he keeps falling off or whatever. And I go to untie my second shoe, and I hear the crack, and I look up and I just see the ball going over the fence. I take my shoe off. What was the clubby's name? Willie.

[David Ross]

Yeah, Willie.

[John Lester]

I take my shoe off and I. They had the entrance right there. I didn't know he was coming around the corner. I throw my shoe as hard as I can at the entrance. I go, willie.

[Anthony Rizzo]

What?

[John Lester]

He comes around the corner. The cleat. Missed him.

[David Ross]

No way.

[John Lester]

By this far.

[David Ross]

That's great.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I go get this down.

[John Lester]

There was people that came out of places in that clubhouse I've never seen before. Champagne gets put up. Saran Wrap, over the top, signs down, the whole thing. And then. So I change and I come back down to the. To the dugout. But he was not happy with me. I apologize to him. After the fact.

[David Ross]

But what. What do you remember when we had the rain delay, where were you at first? Were you in the.

[John Lester]

Were you in the dugout?

[David Ross]

So when you came into the weight room, was it after the fact when everyone was coming in? Or like, what. What's your biggest.

[John Lester]

I followed everybody in there. So we all went in there. And I remember it kind of being at first, a little somber. You know, everybody kind of got in there, and you all. It was almost like a simultaneous deep breath, you know, Sorry. And I remember sitting there for a second, kind of, you know, one of these, like, all right. Like, you're kind of. You went back in your corner as a fighter. You know what I'm saying? Like, I got my breath. I'm Get a drink of water, maybe Miller Light. And I just remember J. Hey. I remember J. Hey. Start talking. And at first, it really surprised me, because Jay doesn't talk. Right. Like, Jay's not a vocal guy. And I kind of sat up and I looked at him, and I don't remember. I think him speaking surprised me, you know? Like, holy. What's he saying? Like, what's he saying? But I don't remember the words of what he said. I just remember him saying, all right, it guys, we have a restart. We're zero, zero. It's kind of what I remember. I don't know if that's exactly what he said. You guys can correct me. And then the best part of the whole meeting was they're like, hey, they're pulling the tarp, and Schwarber's leading off. And he walks out, and he goes, I'm gonna get a hit. You drive me.

[David Ross]

You.

[John Lester]

You drive me in to whoever he was talking to.

[David Ross]

Yep. He got the lead off single.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

He came by me. I was sitting on the bench. He had his back gloves on, and it was. Shaw was pitching me the cutter guy. He goes, if this guy throws me a cutter in, I'm gonna knock the out of it right in my face.

[David Ross]

This is second year. Kyle Schwarber, broken knee, just came back, third game of the season.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Came back as, like. The fact that they let him come back, I think speaks volumes to us, too, because our belief in him.

[John Lester]

Yeah. Yeah, right.

[David Ross]

Like, if we didn't. I think if the.

[John Lester]

The boys didn't believe that there's no other young guy. No way that would have come back.

[David Ross]

No.

[John Lester]

And been allowed in that clubhouse like Schwarber was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And he leaves that ball so hard. Kipnis was in the grass with a shift, and I swear, it Was like a foot to his right or left.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And he didn't have time to bend on it. Yeah. He didn't try to get it.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

So we reset. I remember in the dugout in the ninth, when we were hitting in the ninth, everyone was white as a ghost, bro.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Because I was like, even me, I was, bro. I'm sitting there at first, I'm like, this curse is real. I'm just playing with dirt. Like, I couldn't feel any. I couldn't even hear myself. I couldn't hear anything. I was literally numb. And we get in the dugout and everyone's white as a ghost. And then Chappie gets us through it and we give this the rain delay and then we ended up going out scoring, winning another one.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That Miggy doesn't get enough. Love that second base hit.

[John Lester]

Yeah, of course.

[David Ross]

Yeah. Because they end up scoring a run in the night.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah. Yeah.

[David Ross]

You know what I mean?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Raji was on first. I'm like, he's fixing to steal. Going back to that. I remember that home run. Like, usually I could turn the page really fast and like, okay, on to the next thing. Like, I was legit. Could not get that out of my head. Catching for the rest of that inning,

[David Ross]

like, it was just like, rest of my life, bro.

[John Lester]

Damn.

[David Ross]

I mean, I know we won, but you. I still see Raje was a special assistant for mlb and I saw him a lot, especially when I was at the Yankees, bro. Every time I saw him, I got like. You know what I mean? We won, right? Like, right. So we win again. Let's go back. KB gets the groundbreak. I got. I catch the last out. Where are you? What are you thinking? This is now your third World Series championship. 108 year curse.

[John Lester]

I was not well in the dugout. Was not well.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You hit. Side note, you hate sitting the bench. He like, he can't handle the nerves. All right? You'd go to your routine during the game.

[David Ross]

It's one of the greatest left handed pitchers of all time. Just does not like to sit on an actual serious note, dealing with his own demons of, like, nerves routine to get him in. One of the greatest left handed pitchers of all time. Hall of Fame pitcher. And everyone goes through that also, you

[John Lester]

know, like, I didn't like. So I played in two incredibly historic stadiums, okay. For the majority of my career. Even when Wrigley redid their dugouts. Two of the worst places to sit in the dugout and watch a game. You're.

[David Ross]

We're in Cleveland, John.

[John Lester]

Well, I'm just saying. Well, hold on. I'm talking about normally. Yeah. Wrigley is four and a half miles from home plate. Okay. Fenway is 27ft from home plate, and you can't see anything. All right. Yeah, I know it looked as if I wasn't a great teammate, but I liked being able to see what was actually happening, because you know how it is. You sit on the bench, guy gets rung up on a call. The guy goes, oh, that's not a strike. Now everybody in the dugout's like, let's just get your together, right? Well, when you're sitting in downstairs, you're watching tv, like, that was a good pitch.

[David Ross]

So you were downstairs when we went a little.

[John Lester]

No, hold on. I was just saying.

[David Ross]

I gotta know, John.

[John Lester]

This is why I was not. Well, I was up there. We bring in Carl Edwards Jr. To. To finish the game. Okay? I'm going back. The only way to calm my nerves is I'm going to Borsy. And I'm looking at the scouting report with Bors. He like, all right, I know this dude only throws cutter curveball. What do we got? And he'd be like, all right, we've

[David Ross]

got X, Y, and Z. Mike Borzello was our. He was like our scouting report. Catching coordinator, strategist had a game. Game. Such good game. Kong. So.

[John Lester]

So that.

[David Ross]

Yeah, that's Borsi.

[John Lester]

I should have said that first. But. So anyway, I'm going to him to where I'm, like, trying to call the game, trying to take my mind off of what's going on, and I'm literally pacing from him to the end of the dugout, him to the end of. So Carl gets two quick outs, and I'm like, let's go. We got to get one more infield pop up. Let's just make it simple. Okay? I think he walks. Somebody walks.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

Now we bring in Mike Montgomery, the closer. No offense to Mike Montgomery. Okay. But I look at Borsi and I go, what are we doing? I'm like, we got no. Like I said, no offense. We're in the tree Strophy rundown close for us for three quarters of the year until we got Chappie, we got Woody, we got other area and lackey are down there. Yeah. Arieta like, we got these people. Once again, Mike, no offense, but I love you.

[David Ross]

I love. We've got love, Mike.

[John Lester]

We've got. He was one of their bench players.

[David Ross]

Michael Martinez.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Michael Martinez.

[John Lester]

Yep.

[David Ross]

First about the World Series.

[John Lester]

First about the World Series, mind you.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Because they made a switch when he brought on the lefty.

[John Lester]

Remind me to go back to that.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Hold on. Who was it?

[John Lester]

Coco.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Coco.

[David Ross]

Coco.

[John Lester]

Chris. That's right. He took Coco out. We did something. I can't remember what we did. We made a pitching change. They brought Coco in for that guy. Coco only was hitting left handed. And then we brought in Mike Martinez. So they took Coco out and put Montgomery for Martinez. Martinez in. So anyway, I literally take one step. I come off the rail, I take one step to Bors. He goes, don't worry, we have spin.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And I'm like, that sounds like.

[John Lester]

I go, oh, Montgomery has a badass curveball.

[David Ross]

We're good. Let's go.

[John Lester]

First pitch, curveball. Roll over to kb. I did everything I could to hurdle that thing. I went to jump, and I was like, nope. And put my foot down and then jumped. And then as I did that and landed Jason Hamill face plants right next to me, and I'm like, I am so glad I put my foot on the rail, because that would have been me.

[David Ross]

Oh, bro, that celebration. The. The celebration that night was special. We party, we pop champagne, we fly back to Wrigley. We get. We're all blitzed, right? And I remember getting off the bus at Wrigley. Well, I remember on the field giving you this big hug, bro. It like, it felt so good. Like, you win the World Series and first off, you're gas. Run a two year run for me at least. Like, I just learned how to win in 15. All my energy now is winning the World Series this year. It's like a lot make or break. So game seven of the World Series, I actually remember talking to Kipnis at second base at some point during game seven. Like, bro, thank God the season's over tomorrow. Like, win or lose, right? We're still in the heat of the battle, but, like, to be able to just turn off for a second, talk to him, giving you guys a hug, right, Is the best feeling in the world. We party with our families. The plane ride, have great pictures of my parents and Emily, my. My girlfriend, then soon to be fiance, now wife, baby mama. Love her. But just the. The celebration with the families. And then we get home to Wrigley, and I have the trophy. So I walk off the bus with a trophy and, like, there's fans outside of Wrigley, and it's great. And I look at Vijay, our traveling secretary, I'm like, hey, like, what do I do with this?

[John Lester]

I don't know.

[David Ross]

So I just took it home. I took the trophy home dick.

[John Lester]

Well bro, so mad.

[David Ross]

I did not only did it make it so mad, we. I get home at like 6:30. We lay down for like, I don't know, an hour and a half. Like that's the only sleep I had for like four days.

[John Lester]

No sleep.

[David Ross]

I get a text or phone or I'm up and VJs like, hey, John's pissed off he took the trophy home. And I'm like, how the first off, how the does John know I have the trophy? It's 7, 8:30 in the morning.

[John Lester]

I didn't go to sleep and I'm

[David Ross]

like, I don't really care. Like trophies in my bed overlooking the Chicago river in Lake Michigan, right? So I'm like, John's mad at me, right? I'm like, all right. So I get up, which was a great reason to get up.

[John Lester]

It was love mad. It was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

No, I know it wasn't.

[David Ross]

Bring the Pittsburgh mad. Bring the trophy back to Wrigley. And then I think it was like 9:30 or 10am Emily and I got to the bar bottle blonde. Our guy Eric Ferrone opened it. I texted him, hey, you can open up. He's a big Cubs fan. And we sat at the bar from like 10am to like 2am and then from 2am we went to underground and just went until like the next morning. And like throughout the day everyone started coming and partying but for me it was like. It was just. I was in heaven, bro. It was like my dream came true. Right. And I'm with all my friends and family. But where. What were you doing after? What were you doing that you texted at 8:30 in the morning saying you were mad at me for taking trophy home?

[John Lester]

I don't know if I went to sleep at that particular time.

[David Ross]

Farah was pregnant with now psy sa Elizabeth, who's soon to be nine. Soon to be nine. Which is crazy.

[John Lester]

Yeah. So I don't, I don't there, there's a little bit of a blur there. One, sleep deprivation. Two, some beverages were in. In involved there. I. I just remember. I don't know how I even came to about. I was like where somebody might have said something to me and I was like, where's the trophy bj? And he goes, riz took it home. And I got mad, right?

[David Ross]

I took it home, bro. I was there with the 100 loss team.

[John Lester]

Well that's not my.

[Anthony Rizzo]

It really is all.

[John Lester]

That's him. It's not my fault.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I had.

[John Lester]

You got to pick better timing. Agreed.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Agreed.

[David Ross]

Whatever, John.

[John Lester]

Agreed. Anyway, let's get.

[David Ross]

Let's get to the parade. What. What happened?

[John Lester]

Rossi almost died.

[David Ross]

We're on the. We're on the bus, so.

[John Lester]

Well, Rossi lack and Woody almost died.

[David Ross]

I'm on the second last bus with KB and the country cowboys.

[John Lester]

Hit right here, didn't you?

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, I had my nose. Almost got rid.

[David Ross]

We're pulling out a Wrigley and we're getting, like, these. Look, granted, meanwhile, this is the first time the Cubs have ever done a parade, right? Like, no one knows what the last parade was like. So we have. We have the buses, the double decker buses, and we have, like, our guides on there.

[John Lester]

Not to interrupt you, but do you remember when we got to the clubhouse and I had that whiskey. I never told you this. I had somebody date that whiskey. It was from 1908.

[David Ross]

No, really? I had a whiskey, too, from 1908 that I took a shot with my dad after we won.

[John Lester]

So that. Remember that whiskey in my locker? I had the old bottle. It had the messed up thing. It was from 1908. And you're. Me.

[David Ross]

You.

[John Lester]

Your dad. My dad.

[David Ross]

Oh, yeah. Yes.

[John Lester]

And we all took, like. The cork was, like, dissolved in it. We're like. Well, we're either gonna.

[David Ross]

That. That moment at Wrigley where we were all there.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

Yeah. That was cool.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Everybody's family.

[David Ross]

I have a. I had a guitar signed by all the boys with the World series patch.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's what I've got. He gave that to me. He gave me. And it's my favorite thing I've got.

[David Ross]

Everyone was there, and it was just so special. And we get on the buses and we have, like, our, like, almost tour guide on the bus, basically giving us, like, a tutorial. Like, hey, when we get out of Wrigley, the power lines are really low, so there's gonna be a few times we have to duck on the power.

[Anthony Rizzo]

We didn't get that message. We had camera crews on ours, okay. And these. These wires that pulled a sheet so we could walk from the parking lot to the. To the stadium. So there was these. These steel wires that held the curtain up. Well, everybody had forgotten. They didn't tell us this, but everybody had forgotten.

[John Lester]

Well, everybody's excited.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Everybody excited.

[John Lester]

We're seeing fans right there.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Hey, how we doing? It comes. We go to that, and the camera guy was facing us, having a camera shooting us on the back of the bus.

[David Ross]

There's footage of this. And imagine getting that footage.

[John Lester]

I've never seen it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I hadn't seen it. I hadn't Seen it. But the. I know the camera guy got hit first. His camera caught, and the thing pulled really taut right as we're driving. And so his camera goes boom and falls and then whips the line right across. Lackey's hat, sunglasses went off. He got hit across the face. I got hit right in the nose. Nose bleeding. Thank God. If it would hit me here.

[David Ross]

We're done.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Off the back.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I probably would have got a statue

[John Lester]

of Wrigley, me and Harry, Carrie and. I don't know what happened, but I kind of went like this, like. I don't know why you escaped. I had a. I had a damn gouge in the top of my head right here for, like, six, bro.

[David Ross]

I remember seeing you guys bleeding because I was in the bus in front of you. Yeah, that was.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I had my wife at the time breaking out tampons and stick up my nose so it stopped bleeding. I could wave to the fans. I was a train wreck.

[David Ross]

Five million people.

[John Lester]

Five million people.

[David Ross]

But I.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Stage was crazy.

[David Ross]

I'm sure the Boston parades were insane. The duck boats, the passion.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But it wasn't. It wasn't what, bro?

[David Ross]

That our parade was, like, it went forever.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And the fans. And then we get on stage. What, like, what's your. What do you take away from all that?

[John Lester]

So I'll say this. When we were on stage and they were, like, calling people up there to, like, say something. When you're standing there and you're with your boys and you're, like, kind of away from. You know, you're there, but you're removed. You know what I'm saying? Like, you're not having a microphone in front of you and having to talk. You're like, damn, that's a lot of people. You're kind of like, that's a lot of people, bro.

[David Ross]

There's people in trees.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's all I remember was heads and then the treetops, but deep.

[David Ross]

Remember crossing the Chicago River?

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

With that. It was blue. They dyed the river blue.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

So Big Jim's like, hey, John, you're next. I'm like, yeah, cool, man. I've got enough liquid courage. We're good. I don't like talking in front of people.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And.

[David Ross]

5 million people.

[John Lester]

5 million people. 5 million. And he calls like, somebody talks. I think it was you. I think it went after you. And he's like, hey, you're up.

[David Ross]

Let's go

[John Lester]

stumble up there. Get up to the podium. And you look up, and I was like, I don't. I don't know what to say it's a lot. It's a lot of damn people out here. From five feet, right, you're standing with your boys like you're good. You no problem. You're like, damn, that's a lot of people. You get up and you're like, holy, what is this? It's so emotional. And then all I said was, how about this? That's what came out of my mouth. That was. That was my speech. Tony, how about this? And of course, as soon as I say it, I look right there and there's like a nine year old kid just looking at me like this. Like, once again, the sorry, we won.

[David Ross]

When you win, you can do anything.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, I should have said.

[David Ross]

I mean, you used to always tell me, though, winning solves everything.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

When you win. And I tell us all young players that I play with, especially now in the social media error days, like winning solves all your problems. And you said that where it's like, you can come up and have this whole social media following and do all this stuff, but when you win, that's how you make the real money. Like.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

Because when you win, you can do whatever you want.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That was my saying. Like being a backup catcher, it's like everybody wants a winner. Everybody wants a winner. You're on a winning team, you're just going to, you know, solves everything and

[John Lester]

the guys to keep playing, you know, like you're looking at Scherzer, Verlander right now like they're 42. 40, whatever, 41, 42. Still pitching. Well, they're pitching because they've won. And I'm not saying they don't have good stuff and they shouldn't be pitching. They still have good stuff. But teams want those jokers around because they've won. Right, right, right. Like you, if you win, people want you.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And there's a lot of knowledge in winning and experience and having that. No doubt. I want to know because we're going down that road looking all. Looking back at everything. Right. You're retired, you've been home raising kids, enjoying your life. Like looking back 10 years ago now, what would you tell John Lester than

[John Lester]

that, you know, now enjoy it more. Yeah, bro.

[David Ross]

You enjoyed it though, man.

[John Lester]

I did enjoy it, but I didn't. I didn't relish in it, you know? Like, I had this conversation with Rossi one day and I'm kind of envious of like the relationships that he has, which obviously a little different personalities. Okay. Like, slightly more vivacious, like Dancing with the Stars. Yeah.

[David Ross]

You know, you know Dancing the stars lives in the middle of nowhere.

[John Lester]

Yeah. I mean, but my thing is, it's like. And I'll never forget this. So it's game one of the 2013 World Series. Okay. Fenway park, me and you are getting ready to go out. And their weight room is upstairs and where the. The lounge area to hang out was upstairs while I walk through and I come up the stairs and I hear music playing. It sounds like radio is playing in the. In the. Or the, you know, speakers playing in the weight room. And I get up there and fucking Kenny Chesney has like 10 dudes around him just jamming big green tractor. And I look at those guys and I'm like, man, that sure looks fun. I had to go hop my ass on the bike and get ready for game one. Right. Point of what I'm trying to make is, I'm not saying that's the time to relish in it, but the times that Dabo comes into the clubhouse or Brett Eldridge comes in the club, Eddie Vetter, Bill Murray or whatever, taking 10 minutes and going over there and talking to him, stopping what I'm doing and going and talking to him. But also, too, I know in the back of my head, if I stop what I'm doing, I'm not going to go back and finish it.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

You know, so.

[Anthony Rizzo]

But that's what made you great, too. So it's like, I definitely. I definitely get that.

[John Lester]

But I do wish I would have put just a tick more effort into some relationships in my. When I was playing. Good feedback.

[David Ross]

That's good.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's what's all about. Right? We're talking about all these stories we're going to tell throughout this series is like, it takes a group of special men to come together and you create or brothers for life. Right. And so those relationships are special, and I think they grow. But when you're in the middle of it, you're just in the middle of it. You're doing you, bro. You're doing. You're. You're. You. You were brought in at a high price tag to establish what winning is. And this is how we go about our. And Theo recognized that because he had been around you and you had been around great players, and that's the great thing about being a veteran and passing that stuff down. So the reason why you get the ball in game seven and we're all, I mean, going game one of each freaking series, it's like, this is the ride or die dude that's putting us on our back. This is A that here we come, right? And after him, we got another good one, you know, and we got another dude.

[David Ross]

John, you single handedly. I said at the beginning, you're the best free agent signing in Cubs history. You brought winning single handedly to an organization. From your leadership on how you went about your business, from how you treated everyone else, from how you were like a giant teddy bear at times, but also prick as well.

[Anthony Rizzo]

So generous. Spot every team dinner.

[David Ross]

Like, all my cowboy boots are from John. On John's dime, I have two pairs of these. Rolex 200, 200 win Rolex Private Jet hours. You flew me and Emily home on your dime.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Flew me home. My grandma passed away.

[David Ross]

All of these things just created so much love and within.

[John Lester]

And bro, through 162 also too, man. Like, you're my boys. Like, you know what I'm saying?

[David Ross]

Like, you treated everyone like us.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

But like, everybody's my. Like, if you're on my team and we're doing like, we're.

[David Ross]

We're.

[John Lester]

We're supposed to be in this together, I spend more time with you than my family. Right. So I didn't care if it were in the tree. No offense. I didn't care if it was your grandmother or if it was the 26th man on the roster's grandmother. If you need to get home, I've been blessed with this perk. Right? Yeah. I put in the work and I got it and whatever. But at the end of the day, that's not like, you should go home. And if you got to go home at midnight and get on, you go like, that's the way I look at things. And I didn't do it because I wanted the story on espn.

[David Ross]

Never have. John.

[John Lester]

Because I loved every. I loved you guys. I showed my love in different ways.

[Anthony Rizzo]

True.

[John Lester]

Wasn't the nicest person sometimes, but I cared about what I did and I cared about you guys and I cared about winning. Dude. Like, you played sports to win.

[David Ross]

He said, that's right.

[John Lester]

Play to just go participate.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

In an era of. In an air of social media, all the things you and Farah and your family have done are. It's like Instagram versus reality.

[John Lester]

Right?

[David Ross]

You have people who put stuff on Instagram and think they're living this lavish life. You lived it behind the scenes and you have done the coolest things that nobody's ever heard of doing.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah.

[David Ross]

And literally you changed my life on that. Because when I was younger, it was like, you know, you want to flaunt a little bit. Like, I'M in the big leagues, I'm young, I'm single.

[John Lester]

That way, it's different.

[David Ross]

And then I see you in 15 come over, and it was like, from that day on, like, I rarely ever post anything I'm really doing because of how you went about it and, like, how you shape my life as a 25 year old. Now I'm 36. You know what I mean? So it's like you. I don't think you really understand how much, John. I don't think you understand how much you mean to me. All right, I got one. One question, too, because he asked about the 10 years. If you can go back to that season, playoffs or regular season, what's one moment you go back to that stands out? That's like you'll never forget

[John Lester]

the whole season.

[David Ross]

The whole season, Spring training, regular season, post season, whatever.

[John Lester]

I think the feeling I had walking out of the dugout with Rossi in game five of the World Series.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Damn, that was cool.

[John Lester]

And, like, stepping on that top step, it was the old dugout. I always went out on the left side and stepping out, I always tried to make it a point. When I stepped out to look around and I got out and I started in left field, and I looked. I didn't go behind me, but I looked all the way as I'm walking. I looked as far as I could, look this way, and I was like, there is not an empty seat in this place.

[David Ross]

Wow.

[John Lester]

Like, that feeling.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's a badass feeling. Your song came on. I was so emotional. I had. I was singing Jason Aldean. You know, we're here at the top of my lungs, behind my mask, just so you could. I was a wreck because I was just like. My heart was on another level. And you're out there just like, here we freaking go. That's.

[John Lester]

I think I was on, like, pitch three, and it's like a point where, like, the. The. The drums come in or whatever. And, you know, I had my little routine that I did. I'd look down or I do this look down. I never put the ball on my glove, and then I'd lift my leg, tap the ball or tap the glove, and I'd look home, and Rossi is back there before I throw the ball, and he's.

[Anthony Rizzo]

I had to get out my motion.

[John Lester]

We've had a couple that was like that. We. We were talking about this last night. That moment, like, I'll. That moment is, like, ingrained in my head. And then the other moment was we were talking about last night. The 13 World Series for game one.

[Anthony Rizzo]

This is fun.

[John Lester]

And National Anthem plays. And the. The flyover was late, and, you know, I'm getting ready to throw a pitch, and all of a sudden, you just hear. You know, it's dark, it's pitch black.

[Anthony Rizzo]

You can see the bullpen before the game. So Mary J. Blige, Whales.

[John Lester]

Yeah.

[Anthony Rizzo]

And then this flyover, when all you

[John Lester]

see is the after burners as they pass Fenway and just do this. And it's loud, and you just, like, you could feel them. And I was getting ready to throw a pitch, and I put my foot back down. And I love planes. I love flyovers. And so I'm, like, looking for them, just trying to see what kind of planes they were or whatever, and I, you know, kind of dig back in. And I look down to Rossi, and Rossi squatted down.

[David Ross]

He's like, yeah,

[John Lester]

but, like, at the same time, it's like, you know, like, you're having fun.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

You're having fun. It's a grind, but it's. It's the best, man. Like, when you're in that moment. I wouldn't. I wouldn't trade that.

[David Ross]

Yeah.

[John Lester]

For anything.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Cheers, Johnny Lester.

[David Ross]

To 10 years.

[John Lester]

10 years. How about that?

[David Ross]

Hey, by the way, this is John's famous line.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Hangovers are temporary.

[David Ross]

Hangovers are temporary. Legends last forever. And for us, winning, we last forever.

[Anthony Rizzo]

Yeah, Johnny.

[John Lester]

Yeah, man.

[Anthony Rizzo]

That's a wrap.

[John Lester]

I think that's all you guys are gonna need for the podcast.

[Anthony Rizzo]

How long we've been talking? Seven hours.