Papelbon strikes out 3 in a row for the save

Jonathan Papelbon felt good going into the 9th inning to shutdown the Rays, however it didn't go his way. He walked Iwamura to start the inning, and then promptly allowed him to get to 2B on a throwing error. Bartlett then singled to center, but Iwamura held at 2B to make sure it wasn't caught and they held him up at 3rd base.

Papelbon then struck out Carlso Pena, B.J. Upton, and Carl Crawford to lock up the game. He looked absolutely dominating against the last three batters throwing all fastballs and topping out at 97 MPH.

Papelbon said he had to go into "punchout mode", and he certainly did. Tonight showed us that he is clearly the best closer in baseball. At least for now.

If you are a Papelbon owner, the 2.00 WHIP tonight wasn't you wanted, but three strikeouts and a save was well worth it.