Jon Lester, a left-handed starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox threw a no-hitter today against the Kasas City Royals (5th best hitting team in the AL). It was the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history and the first time a left-hander has thrown one for the Sox since 1956.

The most amazing thing about this story is that Lester came back from cancer to start for the Red Sox. On August 27th, 2006 Lester was scratched from his scheduled start against the Oakland Athletics due to a sore back. At the time, Lester’s back problems were thought to be the result of a car crash he was involved in a few days before. On September 1st, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed that Lester had a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.