BOSTON — The movement on Jon Lester’s fastball was evident in the first inning.

On his 11th pitch, the left-hander threw a nasty down-and-in cutter to Mark Grudzielanek, the American League’s leading hitter. Grudzielanek swung over the top of it for a strikeout.

But it wasn’t just Lester’s fastball that befuddled the Royals. He threw curveballs, sinkers and changeups. He jammed a few guys and froze others with backdoor curveballs.

“He was able to come inside, which opened up the outside part of the plate for him,” said catcher Jason Varitek. “They were aggressive early and passive late. And he was pretty powerful late.”

Lester, a tough competitor who has rebounded from a cancer scare, could smell the no-hitter over the final two innings, even as his pitch count went above and beyond the Red Sox’ normal meter for a youngster.

In the eighth inning, he fired a 91 mph fastball over the inside corner, freezing Billy Butler for a strikeout. Miguel Olivo was next. Lester punched him out on a 78 mph curveball in the dirt, getting Olivo to chase it for strike three. On Mark Teahen, the next batter, Lester cranked up his fastball to 94 mph, finally retiring the Royals’ right fielder on a liner to center on a 77-mph curveball.

In the ninth, the crowd of 37,746 on its feet, the adrenaline got the best of Lester for a leadoff walk. An 88 mph cutter, though, resulted in a groundout to third by Tony Pena Jr. Then Lester got inside on David DeJesus, jamming him on a 91 mph fastball for a routine groundout to first baseman Kevin Youkilis.

The pitch count was at 125 when Alberto Callaspo, who had replaced Grudzielanek in the seventh, stepped into the batter’s box. Lester quickly got ahead at 0-and-2. He reached back and sizzled a 94-mph fastball high and wide for a ball.

Callaspo got in front of the next pitch, a 90-mph cutter and lined it foul to left.

Lester started in at Varitek. He got the signal for a fastball. He wound up and fired, sizzling another 94 mph fastball to the plate, his 130th pitch of the night.

It was a bit up and away, but Callaspo flailed at the pitch and missed, touching off a wild scene on the field as the Red Sox celebrated Jon Lester’s no-hitter.

Hit-and-run specialist

Varitek’s main value to the Red Sox is his work as a catcher, from preparation to calling the game. Offensively, his skills have diminished somewhat, due in no small part to the arduous mental and physical position he plays.

But Varitek is the Sox’ best at the plate in executing the hit-and-run play, as he demonstrated again in the third inning.

J.D. Drew was at first base with none out. On the 2-and-1 pitch to Varitek, manager Terry Francona called for the hit and run. Drew took off. The shortstop, Tony Pena, went to cover the bag because Varitek, a switch hitter, was batting left-handed.

Varitek calmly slapped the pitch on the ground through the area at shortstop vacated by Pena. Drew read the play well and zipped to third, from where he scored the game’s first run when Julio Lugo banged into a double play.

And there’s still some lightning left in Varitek’s bat, too. In the sixth, Varitek clouted a two-run homer into the seats in right.

Wildness didn’t help

Kansas City rookie right-hander Luke Hochevar could have limited the damage in the third inning.

All second baseman Grudzielanek had to do was squeeze Mike Lowell’s bases-loaded, two-out popup behind the mound on the infield grass.

Grudzielanek, though, misplayed the ball. Initially, he thought the ball would be the shortstop’s, so he took his eye off it. By the time he found it, the ball had drifted in the wind to his left and he didn’t drift with his feet to stay under it.

Instead, he reached for the ball and it went off his glove and rolled away. By the end of the inning, the Red Sox had five runs in and a 5-0 lead.

While the error was charged to Grudzielanek, as it should have been, Hochevar didn’t do himself any favors in the inning. He was wild. Hochevar went from having two outs, one run in and no one on base to issuing three straight walks after Jacoby Ellsbury’s triple.

Hochevar put his infielders to sleep, throwing four wide ones to Dustin Pedroia, issuing a seven-pitch walk to David Ortiz and forcing home a run when he lost a nine-pitch battle to Manny Ramirez.

The infielders were on their heels when Lowell lifted his popup. It’s no excuse for dropping the ball, but on a cold, windy night, Hochevar’s wildness didn’t help the situation.

Fundamental mistakes

Young catchers at home, don’t do this.

In the first inning, Hochevar bounced a pitch to the plate with two outs and no one on.

Catcher Olivo made two sloppy, fundamental mistakes in trying to knock down the errant pitch, which bounced over the heart of the plate.

Instead of getting his body in front of it to block the ball, Olivo merely stabbed at the ball with his mitt. Granted, no one was on base at the time, so he didn’t have to worry about the ball getting past him and a runner advancing a base, but most catchers still will try to block the ball with the body squared up to it to reinforce the habit of doing things the right way.

Olivo also committed the mistake of turning his head.

Catchers wear masks, and if a catcher looks straight out, the ball will hit his mask. It may still jar the catcher, but it would be unlikely to hurt him. When Olivo turned his head, it left him more exposed to the ball. He actually got hit on the side of his mask when the ball hopped up, though he wasn’t hurt.

Knowing who’s on

Knowing who is running the bases is important for a fielder.

In the second inning, Royals first baseman Butler was on first base. Olivo hit a chopper to third. In most cases on such a ball, the play for the third baseman would be to throw to first base for the out because the high hop would have given the runner from first ample time to beat a throw to second.

But the Sox’ Mike Lowell knew Butler was a stocky guy with little speed. So he calmly fielded the ball and threw to second base for a forceout, keeping the runner out of scoring position. The play wasn’t even close.

skrasner@projo.com