Papelbon Defends His Decision To Miss Sunday's Game
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Jonathan Papelbon missed Sunday's game due to "general soreness" after throwing only 21 combined pitches in two games on Friday and Saturday night. The Phillies took a 4-1 lead into the 9th inning on Sunday, but eventually lost the game in extra innings. With Papelbon available, who has saved 11 straight games for the Phils, the story might have been different.
Papelbon joined Michael Barkann and Ike Reese on 94WIP's Mike & Ike Show on Tuesday. Barkann asked Papelbon if he could go back and pitch now, would he?
"Uh no," Papelbon answered. "And the reason being is, this is my 10th season in the major leagues and I know how to get ready for a game, I know how to prepare myself, I know how to get through a season. I've never been on the DL [disabled list], there's a reason for that. You go across the league and you look at many other closers and could you say have they have 10 seasons and never been on the DL? I think that'd be hard for you to find out. Secondly, for me, my whole goal is to pitch the last game of the season and I know what it takes to do that. So I prepare that way and I go throughout my season and do what it takes to make sure if that situation comes up, or we have a opportunity to pitch in the World Series and all the way deep into the playoffs, I want to make sure that I am ready to do that."
Listen to Papelbon on the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show Here
Papelbon participated in MLB's Fan Cave milk bottle throwing challenge in New York on Saturday afternoon. Some fans were bothered by this.
"Ahh man that's funny," Papelbon told Barkann and Reese. "That's about five feet away. I mean that's pretty much irrelevant. You know, that's to me, kind of doesn't really matter. You're talking about two totally different situations."
Papelbon said watching his team blow the lead on Sunday was difficult of course, but explained pushing himself could have resulted in a serious injury.
"Who knows if I would have been able to or not been able the situation that I was in and not feeling 100 percent," Papelbon explained. "We may have been looking at the same situation if I would have been out there, if I would have pushed it. Who knows, I may have made a situation worse and created an injury that I didn't even really need."
