In the last 40 regular-season games at Fenway Park, two young Red Sox pitchers have now thrown no-hitters.

“I hope,” said general manager Theo Epstein, “our fans don’t come to think of this as a rite of passage for all of our young pitchers.”

Recent history to the contrary, no-hitters don’t come along very often. Nor, it should be pointed out, do no-hitters guarantee greatness. Joe Cowley, after all, once threw a no-hitter; Roger Clemens never did.

But you get the distinct impression that Lester, who no-hit the Kansas City Royals last night, and Clay Buchholz, who did the same to the Baltimore Orioles last Sept. 1, are headed for bigger things.

If no-hitters can be flukes, promising careers aren’t.

“I hope that a night like this reflects well on our plan and reflects on our organization,” said Epstein. “I think winning the World Series is better evidence that we’re doing things the right way. But it’s important, with young pitchers, to celebrate good nights because there are some rough nights along the way, too.