When Game 1 of the American League Division Series begins, Papelbon will be pitching not only to save the season’s most important games, but also to save his status as the only pitcher to log as many postseason innings as he has and still own a 0.00 ERA. Papelbon, entering his fourth postseason, relishes the idea that he has something to live up to, which may explain why he enjoys such success in the first place.
“Of course,’’ Papelbon said. “I love pressure. Pressure is what I thrive on. It’s the reason why I went back to closing. It’s what gets me going, man.’’
Papelbon feels better heading into the playoffs than in any other year, and the reasons stem from what he did eight months ago in Fort Myers, Fla. Papelbon took a risk. He was perhaps baseball’s best closer, but he decided to change.
Papelbon worried that his delivery would eventually hurt him in the two areas he believes matter most - longevity and playoff success. He tweaked his mechanics to emphasize his legs more to lessen the strain on his arm. The switch made for a challenging early portion of the season, but is paying dividends now.
“I feel stronger than I have entering any other postseason before,’’ Papelbon said late Sunday afternoon, about a half-hour after he threw the final pitches of his regular season. “Even in ’07.’’
At the start of the season, when Papelbon was still gaining comfort with his motion, inefficient performances made some believe he was in decline. He clogged the bases, allowing 1.36 walks and hits per inning in the first two months while averaging 18.3 pitches an inning.
As he tinkered with his form, he regained his dominance. In the final two months, Papelbon converted all 13 save chances while allowing four earned runs in 25 innings. Base runners dried up. He struck out 11.2 batters per nine innings, held opponents to a .169 batting average, and posted a 0.76 WHIP. There was nothing shaky about him.
“I made plenty of adjustments this year,’’ Papelbon said. “Now I feel like I’m in that zone.’’
