Nails

Nails is my pet name for Papelbon, because it's lights out when he comes in. Has made me put away my 'Get Foulked' t-shirt.

Jonathan Papelbon has allowed only three runs in 45 appearances this season. (Michael Dwyer - AP)
WaPo: Papelbon Makes a Speedy Arrival
Red Sox Rookie Nearly Unhittable

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A beautiful gift fell from the sky this spring and landed at the feet of the Boston Red Sox. It was so radiant, they didn't know what to do with it at first. So precious, they have come to treat it with exceptional care. So powerful, the mind races at what the future could hold. For now, however, it is simply a gift that should be shared with and enjoyed by the world. All behold, Jonathan Papelbon.

It is not every year -- or every decade, or even every generation -- that produces a pitcher such as Papelbon, the Red Sox' rookie closer. Since a serendipitous chain of events thrust him into that demanding role in April, Papelbon has been almost untouchable, allowing only three runs in 45 appearances this season (a 0.53 ERA) while helping keep the Red Sox in first place in the American League East, barely ahead of the arch-rival New York Yankees.