Red Sox lefty signs big contract

Boston -- Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester, a cancer survivor, has signed a five-year contract worth a reported $30 million, all guaranteed.

Both Boston newspapers (the Globe and the Herald) said the deal was done Sunday morning.

Lester, 27, enjoyed a breakout season in 2008. In a career-high 33 starts (210 1/3 innings), his record was 16-6 with a 3.21 earned-run average, 66 walks and 152 strikeouts.

His 1.95 ERA as a starter in the post-season is the third-lowest in franchise history.

He joined Babe Ruth (1916) and Lefty Grove (1937) as the only Boston southpaws with as many as 15 wins, 30 starts, 200 innings, 150 strikeouts and a sub-3.50 ERA in a single season.

Last season, the lymphoma survivor, a native of Tacoma, Wash., received the Hutch Award for "fighting spirit and competitive desire" by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and in 2007 was given the Tony Conigliaro Award for overcoming adversity.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.