This entry was posted on 9/2/2009 9:37 AM and is filed under uncategorized.
Jonathan Papelbon hasn’t enjoyed his typical overpoweringly smooth wire-to-wire season closing out baseball games for the Red Sox this summer, but the 28-year-old closer is clearly saving the best for last. Boston’s acclaimed closer appeared for the first six-out performance of any kind in his career since 2007, and entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning in Tuesday night’s win with nobody out and the bases loaded.
It was a dire situation, but it was also the kind of treacherous spot that has made Papelbon such a unique weapon for the Sox over the last four plus seasons. It also marked Papelbon’s first two-inning regular season save of his career in a spot where the Sox really needed him most. Papelbon also closed out the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS with a two-inning save, and his performance on Tuesday night just underscores how important it is for the Red Sox to come into Tropicana Field and close out the Rays this season by winning at least two out of three games.
Papelbon has a 1.42 ERA since Aug. 1, and is 6-for-6 in save opportunities with a whopping 19 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings over the time span, and has looked much more like the reliever that's put up historic numbers in his first three seasons at the back end of the bullpen. Those are pretty strong numbers for the fast-talking, hard-throwing closer, and they illustrate that the four-time All-Star has been storing a little bit left in the tank for Boston’s stretch run.
“I feel really good, man,” said Papelbon. “For me this has been the best year body-wise. I think I’ve gotten to the point in my career where I can now know when to push the gas pedal and when to lay off it.
“This is the time of the year that I love, and this is the time of year that gets me excited. Playoff races and postseason is what it’s all about, and this is when it gets to the nitty gritty.”
The Sox were clinging to a three-run lead over a Tampa Bay Rays team scratching and clawing to stay in the AL Wild Card race during that eighth inning call for the closer, and Papelbon was needed to put out a fire started by setup man Hideki Okajima. It doesn't get much stickier than bases loaded with nobody out, but Papelbon was like a surgeon with a bazooka painting the corners with his 95-mph fastball. Papelbon promptly shut the door with three straight outs – including a clutch run-saving catch in centerfield by Jacoby Ellsbury – and averted a potentially disastrous end to the game.
The Sox bullpen ace has now held batters to 1-for-15 with 10 strikeouts in at bats with the bases loaded this season, and Tuesday looked quite a bit like the big game closer that still has yet to allow a postseason earned run in his baseball career.
“Just sticking with my game plan and going with my best stuff, and realizing what my best stuff is,” said Papelbon. “For me it’s all about getting my job done, and when I get in those types of situations I always try to elevate my game and get into a higher intensity.”
That should be a warning to all AL opponents that Papelbon is now stepping on the gas pedal in the final month of the baseball season, and Boston's closer is officially in playoff mode.
