Jon Lester will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs announced Thursday. The only question for the Cubs is whether Game 1 will be at Dodger Stadium or Citi Field, an issue that will resolve itself in tonight’s winner-take-all NLDS game between the Dodgers and Mets.
The Dodgers have only faced one left-handed starting pitcher in the postseason so far, Mets rookie Steven Matz in Game 4 on Tuesday. Lester is anything but a playoff newcomer, having pitched 91 career postseason innings to a 2.66 earned-run average in his career. Lester, 31, went 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA in his first season with the Cubs.
Looking two steps ahead, the Dodgers’ history against Lester falls into one of two camps: Those who haven’t faced Lester a lot, and those who have not hit him well.