Papelbon blows save against Phillies on infamous anniversary
It was a year ago to the day he blew a save, got ejected by umpires and grabbed his crotch -- apparently to make an obscene gesture at fans at Citizens Bank Park.
By
Dave Brown
•
2 min read
Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon suffered his first blown save of 2015 on Monday night, which happened to be the one-year anniversary of his most recent blown save, along with another infamous moment in his career. Later, in the postgame interview scrum, Papelbon also took some jabs at his old team, saying the Phillies organization didn't want to win -- not as much as he did, anyway.
Welcome back to Philadelphia, Paps!
In his first game at Citizens Bank Park since being traded, Papelbon blew a one-run lead in the ninth by allowing a solo home run to Freddy Galvis. It marked his first blown save since a year ago to the day, when Papelbon had a four-run meltdown against the Marlins at CBP, and "adjusted himself" in the groin area as he walked off the field following an ejection for arguing with an umpire. Papelbon tried explaining that he wasn't making an obscene gesture, but instead was just adjusting his cup. Almost nobody believed him, least of all Major League Baseball, which penalized him with a seven-game suspension.
The Nationals came back with a run in the 10th and won 8-7, but Papelbon's mouth only starts running for real once the game ends. Via Delaware Online:
“If I say something, I mean it,” Papelbon said. “It feels from the heart. I’m not going to take anything back that I’ve ever said or did because I believe that it’s right. I don’t know if I got a bad rap here or whatever, but I can promise you I was by far [from] the bad guy on this team.”
Papelbon, the Phillies’ all-time lead in saves with 123, was also asked if he had any regrets about his time in Philadelphia and ended up taking a shot against his former organization.
“I was one of the few that wanted to actually win and I was one of the few that competed and posted up every day,” Papelbon said.
...
“We didn't have the personnel, the leadership, the A to Z to win,” Papelbon said. “It was felt all throughout the clubhouse and it was felt all throughout the stadium, I believe.
“I think the blame goes all the way from the front office all the way down to the bat boy,” he added. “When you don't have an organization that wants to win it's pretty evident and they go out and publicly say, we're not going to win. So what more, you know what I mean?”
It's unlikely that Papelbon was the only, or even among a few, who wanted to win in Philly. They have wanted to win. It's just a matter of being able to do something other than desire it. They've just gone about it the wrong way in recent seasons. And it doesn't matter what Papelbon says, other than for entertainment value. He's out there to pitch -- which he does quite well.
Even with a diminished fastball these days, Papelbon has been one of the better relievers in the game. Take away Sept. 14 for the past two years, he's practically pristine.
The Phillies he left behind, for what it's worth, lavished praised on Papelbon for being an effective closer and a strong team leader.
