The southpaw, whose career has been marred by injuries early-on, made 20 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals this season after returning from the disabled list, pitching to a mid-2.00 ERA while winning double-digit games for the first time since 2011.
When Cardinals manager Mike Matheny tapped John Lackey to go in Game One, more than a few people scratched their heads – why would you put a guy in his mid-to-late 30s in to start such a critical series?
Well, anyone who looked at Lackey’s numbers knew just why Matheny wanted the experienced right-hander on the hill in front of the home faithful: he’d been damn-near untouchable all season at Busch and Friday proved no different as the Cubs failed to record a hit until the middle innings while looking largely clueless at the dish.