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CHICAGO -- When Anthony Rizzo found out the eight-year anniversary of him being declared cancer-free fell on the same day fellow cancer survivor Jon Lester was pitching, he told Lester he was going to throw a no-hitter.He came close.Lester pitched 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball and settled for his second complete game of the season, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Friday to move a season-high 40 games over .500.It coincided with a Major League Baseball initiative that had players and umpires wearing gold sweatbands to raise awareness for childhood cancer.Its a little more special for me and Rizz, just with our foundations and what weve been through, said Lester, who overcame lymphoma a decade ago. He did say the other day I was going to throw a no-hitter on the kids strike out cancer day. It would have been pretty cool, but glad we got the win instead.Hunter Pence ended Lesters bid for a second no-hitter with a homer to left on a 1-2 changeup that cut over the plate. Brandon Crawford followed with a double, and Lester (15-4) got Eduardo Nunez to line to third. He then worked around Trevor Browns one-out double in the eighth.We ran into a very hot pitcher whos throwing the ball very well and he was on top of his game, manager Bruce Bochy said. Still, youve got to generate some offense.I will say we hit some balls had right at them, too. We couldve used a break on Nunezs ball. He just hit it right at him or right there the game is tied.Lester allowed three hits and walked two. The Cubs have won five straight to improve to 87-47. The last time they were 40 games over .500 was the end of the 1945 season.Its pretty incredible, manager Joe Maddon.David Ross and Dexter Fowler had RBI hits in the second off Albert Suarez (3-3).Pences second homer in two days ended a 12 2/3-innings hitless streak (0 for 40) for San Francisco. The Giants are a major league-worst 15-29 since the All-Star break.Lester walked Buster Posey with two outs in the first inning and followed by setting down 18 straight while getting some help.Third baseman Kris Bryant made a diving, backhand grab of Crawfords liner to lead off the fifth and Dexter Fowler made a sliding catch of Kelby Tomlinsons liner to center an inning later.Our defense has been fun to watch all year, and it makes our jobs a lot easier, Lester said.The 32-year-old Lester threw a no-hitter on May 19, 2008, for Boston against Kansas City. That came less than two years after he was diagnosed with cancer.He acknowledged he started thinking about a second one after the first inning and added, Anybody that tells you different is lying.The rookie Suarez, in his ninth start, allowed three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings.Lester struck out Crawford looking with a runner on first for his fourth strikeout to end it on his 102nd pitch.I think the big thing was they were aggressive, Lester said. I was able to keep the ball down and keep the defense active today.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: C Trevor Brown (illness) started after being unavailable Thursday, allowing Posey to play 1B. Brown tested negative for strep throat ... RHP Matt Cain (back) was activated off the disabled list and became the 12th reliever thanks to expanded rosters.Cubs: RHP John Lackey (shoulder) came out fine after a bullpen session and will start Sunday. ... Reliever Pedro Strop (knee) vowed to be back in mid-September after a setback with a strained groin during his rehab. ... RHP Hector Rondon (triceps) is set to pitch Saturday and Monday for Triple-A Iowa.RIZZOS MILESTONERizzo reflected on beating Hodgkins lymphoma.Obviously come a long way, he said. Done a lot of good things on the baseball field, but way more better things off the field. Rizzos foundation has raised about $2 million to support families of children with cancer and cancer research.UP NEXTA showdown of stars Saturday as Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (16-5, 2.84 ERA) faces LHP Madison Bumgarner (13-8, 2.49). Itll be an interesting day, no question, Maddon said. Cheap Jordans For Sale . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Wholesale Authentic Jordans . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. http://www.clearancejordans.com/ . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Cheap Jordans China . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Wholesale Jordans Paypal . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed.It has been some time since Zimbabwe had a lasting impact on a global ICC tournament, with the 2003 World Cup the last time they progressed beyond the opening round. But Zimbabwe have provided some of the greatest shocks on the world stage over the years in both the 50-over format and Twenty20.Can they add to this list of prized scalps in this years World T20 in India? Fletcher fires to down AussiesPlaying their first match in their first ever World Cup in 1983, Zimbabwe did the unthinkable, beating Australia by 13 runs at Trent Bridge. Future Ashes-winning England head coach, but Zimbabwe captain at the time, Duncan Fletcher, struck 69 from 84 balls as Zimbabwe admirably negotiated an imposing Aussie attack of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and Geoff Lawson - losing only two wickets to the trios combined 34 overs - to post 239-6 from their 60 overs. Duncan Fletcher, pictured batting for Zimbabwe at the 1983 World Cup Fletcher backed-up his batting exploits with 4-42 with the ball, his wickets accounting for four of Australias top five batsmen. The only one he didnt dismiss, Kepler Wessels, struck 76 and Rod Marsh hit an unbeaten 50, but it wasnt enough, with Australia finishing on 226-7. A week later at the old County Ground in Southampton, Australia earned revenge, beating Zimbabwe by 32 runs, although 84 from another familiar name in cricket coaching in England since, Dave Houghton, saw Zimbabwe come close to repeating the trick. Zimbabwe team guide Details on Zimbabwe squad for 2016 ICC World Twenty20 England edged out in low-scorerHoughton would have a small role to play in another of Zimbabwes greatest upsets as they beat England by nine runs in the 1992 World Cup. This result was all the more surprising given the form of the two sides going into the game. Admittedly England had just suffered a heavy seven-wicket defeat to New Zealand in their last outing, but that was in a clash of the tournaments two unbeaten teams after the first six games, while Zimbabwe were winless and hadnt passed a score of 200 in their previous five contests. Despite losing to Zimbabwe, England went on to make the final of the 1992 World Cup, where they lost to Pakistan The trend continued as Zimbabwe could only muster a score of 134 from their 46.1 overs, with captain Houghton earning the dubious honour of top-scoring with 29 - Ian Botham (3-23) and Richard Illingworth (3-33) sharing three wickets apiece. The warning signs were there when Graham Gooch fell first ball lbw to Eddo Brandes (4-21), the first of four strikes for him as England slipped to 43-5. Alec Stewart (29) and Neil Fairbrother (20) seemed to have steadied the ship, putting on 52 together, but another collapse came as the final five wickets fell for 30 runs. England would recover to reach the final, but lost out to Pakistan.Zimbabwe steal Super Six spotEngland would come a cropper again thanks to Zimbabwe in 1999, suffering an embarrassing group stage exit at their home World Cup. While England won the solitary meeting between the two sides by seven wickets, Zimbabwes terrific form in the tournament, securing wins over Kenya, India and most crucially South Africa, saw them qualify for the Super Six stage at Englands expense. Neil Johnson celebrates a wicket during Zimbabwes crucial 1999 World Cup win over South Africa Defeat for England against India in their final group game could still have sent them through provided the unbeaten-at-the-time South Africa got the better of Zimbabwe. But a Neil Johnson-inspired Zimbabwe won by 48 runs and England ultimately crumbled to a 63-run defeat the following day to dump them out. Johnson - opening the batting - struck 76 as Zimbabwe scored 233-6 in their 50 overs, before taking Gary Kirstens wicket first ball and picking up 3-27 opening the bowling. He and Heatth Streak (3-35) tore through the Proteas top order, reducing them to 40-6, and while scores of 52 for both Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener briefly threatened their superiority, Zimbabwe ultimately secured a comfortable win and advanced to the next stage of a World Cup for the first time.dddddddddddd Were just a few weeks away from the start of the ICC World Twenty20. Who will walk away with the trophy? Taylors T20 triumphResponsible for the first ever 50-over upset, Zimbabwe repeated the trick in T20 cricket, once again besting Australia. At the first ever World T20 in South Africa in 2007, Zimbabwe played an Australia side accused of not taking the newest format of the game seriously enough. They had been involved in the first ever international T20 against New Zealand, but it was a game with retro 1980s kits, outmoded facial hair and a mock underarm delivery by Glenn McGrath. And in the second ever T20I, the Aussies were hammered by 100 runs by England in Southampton before the 2005 Ashes. Any excuse to bring that up… Brendan Taylor is mobbed by team-mates after scoring the winning runs against Australia in the 2007 World T20 But still, this was an Australian side sporting the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, and was expected to see off Zimbabwe with relative ease. Not so, those three were dismissed inside the first four overs as seamers Elton Chigumbura (3-20) and Gary Brent (2-19) ran through Australia, reducing them to 138-9. The run-chase was a tense affair with Zimbabwe on 75-4 just past the midway mark when rain interrupted proceedings, but a nerveless 60 from 45 balls by Brendan Taylor saw the side home with one ball to spare.Taylor tonks back-to-back tonsTalking of Taylor, the 2015 World Cup is hardly worth including in this list but for back-to-back hundreds by the now-Nottinghamshire batsman. It certainly cant be classed as a triumphant tournament for Zimbabwe, with five defeats from their six games - only a win over the UAE to their name - consigning them to another early exit. But other than a blistering 138-ball double hundred by Chris Gayle against them, Zimbabwe were never embarrassed. In fact, well-placed at 128-3 chasing just 236 to beat Pakistan, they should have added a second triumph to their tally. Taylor celebrates one of his back-to-back hundreds at the 2015 World Cup On top of that, Taylor had a highly impressive tournament - hitting 121 off 91 balls in a five-run defeat to Ireland and an even classier 138 off 110 against India in another losing cause. Taylors one-day average improves from 34.82 to 46.00 in tournament play, but his India effort was his last international knock, with the 30-year-old batsman moving to England to continue his career in county cricket. His skills will be sorely missed by Zimbabwe at the World T20.Sky Sports is the only place you can watch all 35 games games in 27 days of the 2016 ICC World T20, starting with Zimbabwe v Hong Kong on Tuesday 8th March at 9am on Sky Sports 2 HD. Also See: ICC World T20 fixtures ICC World T20 squads WATCH: Best of 2014 World T20 Get Sky Sports ' ' '