Jonathan Robert Papelbon
(Born November 23, 1980 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
), nicknamed "Pap," and "Cinco Ocho" (by Comcast Sports Net), is a Major League Baseball closer for the Boston Red Sox. He bats and throws
right-handed.
He was the Red Sox closer during most of 2006. In early September,
Papelbon injured his shoulder. When the Red Sox were eliminated
from playoff contention, he was shut down for the rest of the
season to rest. Papelbon was being groomed to be part of the Red
Sox starting rotation, but because of his shoulder problems, was
later moved back to the bullpen before the start of the season and
remained the team's closer. On August 21, 2007, Papelbon had his
30th save of the season making him the first Boston pitcher to ever
have two 30-save seasons. As of July 1, 2009, Papelbon holds the
record of most saves by a Red Sox pitcher, beating
Bob Stanley's previous record of 132
saves.
Jonathan is the older brother of twins
Josh Papelbon, pitcher for the
Portland Sea Dogs, Double-A advanced
affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and
Jeremy Papelbon, pitcher for the
Tennessee Smokies, Double-A affiliate of
the
Chicago Cubs.
Early career
High school
Papelbon
was a three-time All-City honoree while playing in high school for
Bishop Kenny
High School
in Jacksonville, FL
.
College: Mississippi State
Papelbon was a closer for the
Mississippi State
Bulldogs. He had a 9–6 record, 13 saves, and 2.90 ERA in his
three years on the team in relief. In the summer after his freshman
year, Papelbon played with the Silver Spring-Takoma Park
Thunderbolts in suburban D.C. The team is a part of a wooden bat
league for college players. During the subsequent summers of his
college career Papelbon played for the Danville Dans, a summer
baseball team located in Danville, Illinois. Soon after arriving in
Danville he easily became a crowd favorite and led the team to a
CICL championship. Papelbon graduated from Mississippi State in
2003.
Minor leagues
After a 13–10 record for
Class-A Lowell Spinners and
Sarasota Red Sox from 2003–04, Papelbon was
5–2 in 14
starts for Double-A
Portland in 2005. Promoted to
Triple-A
Pawtucket, he went 1–2
with a 3.57
ERA in four starts,
walking two and
striking out 21 in 22.1
innings.
Major league career
2003–2005
Papelbon was drafted in the 4th round in , a year after the
Oakland Athletics picked him in
the 40th round. He did not sign because he wanted one more year in
college to pitch and a chance to get to the
College World Series, which his team
failed to do. The
Philadelphia
Phillies had called him in round six to ask if he would sign if
they drafted him, but he rejected the offer. Finally, the Red Sox
drafted him the next year in the eighteenth round.
Papelbon made his major league debut with the Red Sox on July 31,
against the
Minnesota Twins, in
which he went 5⅓ innings, struck out seven batters, and issued five
walks in Boston's 4–3 victory. He did not receive a decision. He
earned his first
major league win on
September 12, 2005, pitching three scoreless innings in an
extra-inning game against the
Toronto Blue Jays. In two
postseason appearances in
2005, he pitched four scoreless innings against the eventual World
Series Champion
Chicago White Sox.
The Red Sox had plans of slotting Papelbon into their starting
rotation prior to the regular season in 2006. However, the
incumbent closer,
Keith Foulke, proved
to be ineffective trying to come back from an injury-plagued
2005.
2006–2007
In April 2006, he changed his hair to a
Mohawk style, after
Charlie Sheen's character Ricky Vaughn from
the film
Major League
due to a wager with teammate
Kevin
Youkilis in which they bet whether he could start the season
with 10 scoreless innings.
On April 5, the second game of the 2006 season, Papelbon recorded
his first career save in Texas. On April 29, 2006, he set a major
league record with his 10th save, against the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays. No rookie in major
league baseball history had recorded that many saves in the month
of April.
The 25-year-old
closer finished
2006 with one of the most dominant seasons ever for a rookie
reliever. Papelbon saved 35 games, struck out 75 batters in 68
innings, and held opposing batters to a .167
batting average.
On October 11, 2007, Papelbon was named the 2007 winner of the "DHL
Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award."
Papelbon garnered 39,043 votes out of almost 125,000 votes
cast.
After the Boston Red Sox clinched the American League East title in
2007, Papelbon celebrated the victory by Irish step dancing in the
middle of the Fenway Park diamond to the
Dropkick Murphys' song "
I'm Shipping Up to Boston", a song
which he now is introduced to. Following the Red Sox American
League Championship Series victory, he repeated his dance
performance on the field with members of the band. For a third
time, Papelbon did his dance on a flat bed truck with the World
Series trophy over his head along with the Dropkick Murphys playing
live during the Sox' Championship "Rolling Rally" Parade.
In late 2007 on
Dan Patrick's radio
show,
David Ortiz revealed a friendly
clubhouse wager that stated that Papelbon must perform his
signature celebratory dance on demand for people wearing
Boston Red Sox apparel. Terms of the bet were
not disclosed, but it is rumored that Ortiz wagered 20 cases of
Vitamin Water against Papelbon's offer of 1 free car from The
Westville Motorsports Megastore, a local dealership he endorses. In
Game 2 of the World Series Papelbon was brought in with the bases
empty and 2 outs in the eight with the Red Sox leading 2–1 to face
the Rockies best hitter, Matt Holliday. Papelbon gave up a single
to Holliday before picking off Holliday to end the inning. Papelbon
pitched a one-two-three ninth for the save.
In Game 4 of the
2007 World
Series, he entered in the 8th inning to shut down the Colorado
Rockies comeback, and pitched until the 9th where he threw the
game-winning strikeout for the Red Sox as they clinched the 2007
Championship.
2008–present
On March 6, 2008, Papelbon agreed to terms with the
Boston Red Sox for $775,000. Papelbon's deal
set the record for the largest contract for a closer not eligible
for
salary arbitration, topping
Mariano
Rivera's previous record by $25,000. Boston was under no
obligation to pay Papelbon more than the league minimum of
$390,000. On January 20, 2009, Papelbon agreed to a one-year $6.25
million contract with the Red Sox, avoiding arbitration. This is
the largest contract for a closer in his first year of arbitration
eligibility. Papelbon recorded his 100th career save on July 13,
2008. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 200 innings, Jonathan
Papelbon's 0.930 WHIP through 2008 is the lowest in major league
history.
Papelbon criticized former teammate
Manny
Ramirez in the April 2009 issue of
Esquire
magazine.
On June 29, 2009, Papelbon gained his 132nd save, in a 4–0 shut out
against the
Baltimore Orioles,
tying
Bob Stanley's record for most
saves by a Red Sox pitcher. Two days later on July 1, Papelbon
recorded his 133rd save with the Red Sox, starting a new record.On
July 5, 2009, Jonathan was selected to represent Boston at the 2009
All Star Game.
Papelbon has been cited repeatedly for his slow play; on September
4, 2009 it was reported that he had been fined $5,000 for failing
to deliver his first pitch within the required time in a September
1 appearance. Papelbon told the
Boston
Herald that he had been cited on at least five occasions and
fined more than $10,000 for these violations. Papelbon jokingly
added, "I think they're going to call my parole officer and put me
away."
Papelbon lost game three of the 2009 American League Division
Series (ALDS) by allowing three earned runs against the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim. Entering the game in the eighth, he permitted
two inherited runners to score, then blew the save in the ninth.
With the loss, the Angels swept the Red Sox from the division
series.
Personal life
His
mother, Sheila, played softball at Louisiana State
University
in Baton
Rouge
and his father, John, is the Deputy Director of the
Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of
Fame in St.
Petersburg, Florida
.
Papelbon
and his wife, Ashley, live in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
and Wayland, Massachusetts
. On December 29, 2008, Ashley gave birth to
the couple's first child, a daughter, Parker Alice.
He appeared on
The Late Show with David
Letterman on October 31, 2007, after the Red Sox won the
2007 World Series. On December 20, 2007, Papelbon claimed that his
dog "Boss," chewed up the ball that recorded the final out of the
2007 World Series.
His entrance song is "
I'm
Shipping Up to Boston" by the
Dropkick Murphys.
Achievements
See also
References
- Boston Red Sox press release: "Papelbon to return as closer." Retrieved
March 22,
2007.
- MLB official player profile. Retrieved
March 22,
2007.
- name="Profile"
- Boston Red Sox prospects: Jon Papelbon profile Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- The Baseball Cube: Jon Papelbon Statistics. Retrieved
March 22,
2007.
- Boston
Herald: "A hair-raising incident: Papelbon takes wild walk
on Mohawk trail." Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- ESPN: "Red Sox re-sign Papelbon for one year, $775,000"
Retrieved March 15,
2008.
- "ESPN": Jonathan Papelbon's $6.25M deal with Boston Red Sox makes
history"
- MLB.com: 100th career save
- Chuck, Bill. 100 random things about the Red Sox, Rays, and
Yankees, The Boston Globe. Published
April 2, 2009.
- Papelbon on former teammate Ramirez: 'It's like
cancer'. Retrieved on 2009-03-12.
- "Baseball fines Papelbon $5,000", ESPN.com, September 4, 2009.
- Contact usTed Williams Museum Hitters Hall of Fame.
Retrieved 22 July 2008
- Red Sox Pitcher Jonathan Papelbon Welcomes Daughter
Parker Alice Celebritybabyblog.com, December 30, 2008
- MSNBC.com
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