Bruised and battered

Word came in the fourth inning that Lester had X-rays at Yankee Stadium and they were negative. The diagnosis is a contusion of the right quadriceps muscle and he is listed as day to day.

“It’s very scary when a pitcher gets hit like that,’’ Gonzalez said after the Red Sox’ 9-5 loss to the Yankees. “The hitter hit the ball very well. Nobody wants to get hurt, especially in this moment, especially Lester, one of the best pitchers we have on the club. Thank God it’s nothing serious.’’

Panic was tempered as the diagnosis emerged. Hearts stopped racing, and Lester might even make his next start, scheduled for Thursday at Fenway.

“He’s going to be OK,’’ manager Terry Francona said. “When it first happened, I think it looked terrible, it sounded terrible, he was in a lot of pain. I think it caught enough meat or muscle where it wasn’t just a direct blow on that bone. I actually think from talking to Dr. [Larry] Ronan, our trainers, he might be right on turn. The fact that we’re even talking about that is good news.’’

When Lester stood up the Yankee Stadium crowd of 48,449 gave him an ovation. He walked off the field under his own power, with the hand of trainer Paul Lessard firmly on his back, as the staff tried to keep him from putting too much weight on his knee and leg. He traveled down the steps from the dugout to the clubhouse, followed quickly by David Ortiz. The pitcher disappeared for X-rays and the ministrations of the training staff.

Asked how he felt after the game, Lester said “fine’’ as he stood in front of his locker with a sleeve covering his right leg from his thigh to his calf. “Anytime you take a ball off any part of your body, you’re worried,’’ he said. “But everything came back fine. Move forward and treat it and go from there.

“It hurt. I don’t know what other type of reaction you want. It hurt, hit off my knee, going about Mach 7.’’

And with the speed the sound was there, a sound heard by Gonzalez at shortstop and the Yankees’ Nick Swisher, who was on first base.