Jonathan Papelbon is six saves shy of becoming the Phillies’ all-time leader, yet doesn’t feel much like a Phillie.
“The Red Sox are a part of who I am, man,” Papelbon said in a story published Wednesday by the Boston Globe. “I don’t really feel much like a Phillie.”
Call it Papelbon being Papelbon.
After recording a four-out save Wednesday night in the Phillies’ 4-2 win over his beloved Red Sox, Papelbon was given a chance to clarify his comments.
Did fans cheering him on in the rain make him feel more like a Phillie?
“What is a Phillie? … What is a Phillie?” Papelbon joked.
In his own special way, Papelbon tiptoed the topic.
MLB
“The Red Sox still run deep in me,” Papelbon said. “It’s where I’m from, it’s where I grew up, it’s who I became as a pitcher, so that will always stick with me no matter what.”
Since his arrival, if you’ve learned anything about the Phillies’ fickle closer, it’s that he speaks his mind. Papelbon will never choose his words wisely, nor will he ever say the right things. That’s not who he is or who he’ll ever be.
Quite frankly, he doesn’t care what you think about him.
But just when you think he’s laying low, he surfaces.
Just when you think he’s keeping quiet, he makes a bang.
Papelbon being Papelbon.
And that ties us back to the whole point.
Remember when Papelbon said he “didn't come here for this?”
Remember when he called Phillies fans his little brother?
Remember when he said he was ready to bolt for a contender?
Remember when he grabbed his groin area in what looked like a gesture to booing fans?
So, Papelbon doesn’t feel much like a Phillie.
And he can thank himself for that.