The Red Sox’ Jon Lester is about to jump into the waiting arms of catcher Jason Varitek after the final out of last night’s no-hitter against the Royals at Fenway Park.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

BOSTON — Terry Francona’s reaction said it all. What Jon Lester did last night in pitching a no-hitter as the Red Sox beat Kansas City, 7-0, at Fenway Park was special, even by no-hit standards.

When Lester had finished being carried by catcher Jason Varitek and being mobbed by his teammates, he worked his way over to his manager. Francona greeted him and acted a bit differently than most managers do in such situations. He took Lester’s face in his hands, both hands, spoke to him briefly, then gave him a long hug. Finally, he spoke to Lester again before letting him go.

It clearly was an emotional moment for both, different than manager and player. They were more like friends who had been through a difficult situation together, specifically the rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma Lester battled two years ago. It made this great moment even more special.

“With everything I’ve been through, he’s been like a second dad to me,” Lester said. “Just being able to talk to him, not as a manager but as a friend. He cares a lot about his players. It’s not just about what you do on the field, it’s what type of person you are. He cares a lot about that.”

It completed a truly memorable day for Francona. He spent the first part of the day watching his son, Nick, graduate from the University of Pennsylvania.

“This probably isn’t fair to say, but I feel like my son graduated and my son threw a no-hitter. It couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Francona said. “That’s probably selfish on my part to even say something like that, but I think it’s obvious how we feel about this kid.”

“He’s a wonderful kid not because he threw a no-hitter; he’s a good kid because he’s a good kid,” Francona said. “We’re proud of him all the time. To watch him do that tonight was beyond words. I’m trying to put it into words but it’s beyond words. What a story. To see him do that, you feel like a proud parent. I know we have no right to say that, but it’s probably how we feel.”

Lester might be the quietest player on the Red Sox team. The native of Washington state goes about his business without fanfare. He is polite and soft-spoken. The fact that the 24-year-old not only has survived cancer, but has dealt with it so stoically has made him one of the team’s most popular players.

Lester allowed only two base runners, a walk to Billy Butler in the third and a walk to Esteban German leading off the ninth. He threw a career-high 130 pitches and struck out a season high nine.

As so often happens with a no-hitter, there was one special play to keep it alive. That came from center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who came in and toward right on a soft fly ball by Jose Guillen in the fourth and made a fabulous diving backhanded catch inches from the ground.

“It wasn’t until after the catch that I actually realized he had a no-hitter,” Ellsbury said. Boston led, 5-0, at the time, thanks to a five-run third.

“It was nice having the cushion at the time and knowing that you can really lay it out,” Ellsbury said. “I was just thinking, ‘Go get it.’ I knew J.D. was backing me up, so in that situation I can really lay out for it.”

Otherwise, Lester was in full control. He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 29 hitters he faced. The fact that he pitched so well was a surprise only because he felt he warmed up badly.

“If you had seen me in the bullpen, you would have thought I wouldn’t get out of the first inning,” he said. On a cold night that made gripping the ball difficult on breaking balls, he and catcher Jason Varitek, who became the first catcher ever to receive four no-hitters, went more with a four-seam fastball.

“In the fourth inning John (pitching coach John Farrell) and I were talking and commenting on how he was going back and forth, up and down, changing speeds, working quick, attacking the zone, but with different eye levels, different speeds, different planes,” Francona said.

As Lester mowed down batter after batter, the sellout crowd of 37,746 got more and more into it. Lester, who also pitched the deciding game of the World Series last year, said he followed his usual routine in the dugout, which is to move around quite a bit so as not to sit and think too much. Francona, who insists he is not superstitious, was on this night.

“I didn’t do a darn thing different. My shoe felt like it was going to fall off the last three innings, but I wouldn’t tie it,” he said. “I was glad we had some runs because you can watch a little more and get caught up with him.”

The fans got caught up, too. By the ninth, flashes were going off all over Fenway on every pitch. When he struck out Alberto Callaspo for the final out, Lester raised both fists and celebrated until Varitek came out and lifted him off the ground, keeping him in his arms until everyone else came out and joined the celebration.

It was the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history, the first by a lefty in Fenway since Mel Parnell in July of 1956.

It turned a cold night in May into a night to remember, although Lester said he was having trouble digesting it all.

“It really hasn’t sunk in,” he said. “Right now it feels like I pitched and we won the game. I think it’s like the World Series. It takes a while for this to set in and give you time to reflect on it. I guess it’s one of those things you get to enjoy later.”

pkenyon@projo.com