Rocky Balboa is a beloved figure in Philadelphia. Jonathan Papelbon most certainly is not.
The vocal closer once again rankled his old teammates with comments he made on Monday prior to a series between the Nats and Phillies. The series marked Papelbon’s first time facing his old team since being traded to Washington in late July.
“I’m not going to take anything back that I’ve ever said or did because I believe that it’s right,” Papelbon said Monday via Todd Zolecki. “I don’t know if I got a bad rap here or whatever, but I can promise you I was far (from) the bad guy on this team.