Jason Varitek catches spot in history books

May 20, 2008 | Boston Herald | By Jeff Horrigan


Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek sheepishly admitted he had no idea Jon Lester was in the process of pitching a no-hitter last night at Fenway Park until just before the eighth inning.


"I looked up after the seventh and saw that he was around 100 pitches (97) and I was like, 'He did his job,' " Varitek said. "And then I glanced in the bullpen and saw nobody warming up and I said, 'That's kind of weird.' I looked back (at the scoreboard) and said, 'Uh-oh!'"


Lester became the first Red Sox left-hander in nearly 52 years to pitch a no-hitter, but the veteran catcher also earned a spot in the record books by being behind the plate for his fourth no-hitter, breaking a record he had shared with 12 other catchers.


Varitek previously caught no-hitters thrown by Hideo Nomo (April 4, 2001), Derek Lowe (April 27, 2002) and Clay Buchholz (last Sept. 1).


"I'm very fortunate," Varitek said. "It's so exciting to be part of one as a catcher. Each one is so different. The work that Jonny Lester's had to do, (so) to be able to be a part of something like that with him is totally different."


Pitching coach John Farrell said Varitek deserves a lot of credit for his no-hitters.


"You think of someone who has what I consider a photographic memory and how he retains the information of what goes on inside the game and how to attack hitters the second, third and fourth time through a lineup," Farrell said. "It also shows he has caught some pretty good pitchers. But the most important thing, I think every pitcher that walks to the mound has the utmost confidence in what he calls. We're fortunate to have him here. The fact he has caught four in his career, the only catcher to do that, that’s a team effort and Jason has a huge impact of what goes on. Certainly Jon throws every pitch, but Jason’s guidance certainly got him to that point."


Varitek said Lester’s accomplishment was even more remarkable considering how difficult it was to get a decent grip on the ball.


"It was an awful feel," Varitek said. "The balls were real slick, it was windy, dry, cool, there was no moisture in the air. It was a tough grip, even for me throwing balls back to the mound until the sun went down, (when) you started settling in and the grip changed on the balls. It was a battle for both pitchers early to really get a feel for the baseball."


The group of catchers with three no-hitters consists of Ray Schalk, Roy Campanella, Del Crandall, Luke Sewell, Alan Ashby, Bill Carrigan, Charles Johnson, Ed McFarland, Jeff Torborg, Jim Hegan, Silver Flint and Val Picinich. Yogi Berra would be included in that group, as well, if postseason games were added in. Former White Sox catcher Schalk originally was credited with catching four for being behind the plate for Jim Scott and Joe Benz in 1914, Eddie Cicotte in 1917 and Charlie Robertson’s perfect game in 1922, but Scott’s no-no is no longer considered as an official no-hitter because he gave up a pair of 10th-inning hits.