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Red Sox Pitcher Has Lymphoma

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From the Associated Press

Boston Red Sox rookie left-hander Jon Lester has a form of lymphoma and will start treatment in the coming week, the team announced Friday.

Enlarged lymph nodes were identified when Lester, 22, was tested to determine the cause of back pain that sent him to the disabled list last Monday. The club said Friday he had a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Pitcher Curt Schilling referred to the melanoma his wife dealt with several years ago.

“Having been in a situation where cancer was an operative word, it’s an incredibly scary thing,” Schilling said. “You’re talking about a kid at the beginning of his life.”

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Lester is 7-2 with a 4.76 earned-run average and 60 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings.

“It’s his life. It’s not him not being able to get out of the sixth inning,” reliever Mike Timlin said. “He’s 22. That’s a long future not to have if you come up with an illness that you can’t get rid of, so we are praying for him.”

Lester, from Tacoma, Wash., was Boston’s first pick in the 2002 draft.

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David Ortiz will wear a heart monitor for the next few days and he will be examined next week to determine when he can play again.

The Red Sox designated hitter had a normal examination after returning from Seattle on Tuesday, one day after experiencing heart palpitations for the second time in August, the team said in a statement.

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The Minnesota Twins announced that pitcher Brad Radke has a stress fracture in his right shoulder, an injury the club doesn’t necessarily think will end his season.

Radke’s injury, to the area of the shoulder joint, is a rare condition and was not detected in previous exams, the Twins said.

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The Chicago Cubs activated left-handers Scott Eyre and Sean Marshall from the 15-day disabled list and right-hander Wade Miller from the 60-day disabled list.... The Philadelphia Phillies acquired first baseman Randall Simon from the Texas Rangers for cash.

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