Contributed by Bill Chuck

Last night, Boston Red Sox lefty Jon Lester threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals. The Sox won 7-0.

Here are 29 facts about the no-hitter (one for each batter Lester faced:

1. Lester struck out 9 and walked just two.
2. This is his first shutout and first career complete game.
3. First no-hitter by a Red Sox lefty since Mel Parnell on July 14, 1956.
4. At 24 years and 133 days, Lester is the youngest lefty to throw a no-hitter since the Cardinals’ Bud Smith no-hit the Padres on Sept. 3, 2001. Smith was 21 years and 315 days.
5. The Royals are batting .285 against lefties.
6. It was the 18th Red Sox no-hitter of all-time.
7. Lester threw 130 pitches, 4.5 per batter.
8. He threw 20 of 29 first-pitch strikes including 9 of the last 11 batters.
9. On 1-1 counts, Lester threw strikes 9-of-15 times.
10. Lester struck out Alberto Callaspo to end the game on a high and outside 1-2 fastball.
11. He only had two strikeouts through the first four innings.
12. Jason Varitek is the second catcher to catch four no hitters – Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholtz and now Lester. Ray Schalk of the White Sox also caught four.
13. Varitek said. “I didn’t really know he had a no-hitter until the eighth. I looked up in the seventh and saw that he was around 100 pitches, and he did his job. I glanced in the bullpen and saw nobody warming up, and thought that was weird. I looked back and saw. It was good.”
14. Boston's last no-hitter was pitched by Clay Buchholz, against the Baltimore Orioles in just his second major league start last Sept. 1.
15. The no-hitters by Lester and Buchholz marks the first time pitchers on the same team have posted no-hitters in a span without a pitcher from another team doing it since Nolan Ryan tossed no-hitters for the Angels against the Twins on Sept. 28, 1974, and the Orioles on June 1, 1975.
16. Nolan Ryan is the only other pitcher to no-hit the Royals in their franchise history. Ryan was with the California Angels when he threw the first of his seven no-hitters on May 15, 1973, at Kauffman Stadium.
17. “Any time you’re in a class with Nolan Ryan, it’s pretty special,” said Lester. “He’s probably the greatest pitcher of all time. It’s unbelievable the longevity he had, seven no-hitters. It’s something that’s very special.”
18. The one great fielding play was a diving catch by Jacoby Ellsbury in the 4^th. All the other plays were routine.
19. “I’m just thinking, ‘Go get it,’” Ellsbury said. “(Right fielder) J.D. (Drew), I knew he was backing me up on there, so in that situation I can lay out and go for it knowing that he’s going to back me up. And now I look back at it I’m really happy I made that catch.”
20. Lester's record is now 3-2
21. Lester and Jonathan Papelbon combined to one-hit the Royals on July 18, 2006.

22. Manager Terry Francona, whose said graduated earlier in the day from Penn, said, “I feel like my son graduated and my son threw a no-hitter.”
23. Lester on Francona’s words to him after the game: "He just said he was proud of me," Lester said. "I've been through a lot the past couple of years, and he's been like a second dad to me, it's just a special moment right there."
24. "Jon has lived a full life at age 24 for what he's endured, overcome and experienced," pitching coach John Farrell told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. "And he has such a bright future. When you look at his attributes, both physically and mentally, you can envision him being a premium starter in the big leagues for a long, long time."
25. On May 4, 1989, Rob Neyer reminds us, Farrell, pitching for the Cleveland Indians held the Royals without a hit for 8 1/3 innings.
26. Lester was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma in August 2006 and he battled back from cancer last season.
27. Lester picked up the victory in Game 4 at Colorado to complete the Red Sox sweep in the 2007 World Series.
28. Lester was the centerpiece of the offseason trade talks to bring Johan Santana to Boston.
29. The Red Sox,Yankees, and Marlins have the most no-hitters since 1993 with four.

Bill Chuck is the creator of Billy-Ball.com and, with Jim Kaplan, is the author of the book, “Walk-Offs, Last Licks, and Final Outs – Baseball’s Grand (and not so Grand) Finales,” with a Foreword by Jon Miller, published by ACTA Sports, and available worldwide.