Papelbon grew up in Jacksonville with his twin brothers, Jeremy and Josh, who are three years younger. Jeremy and Josh were both minor league pitchers. When they all were kids, competition and confrontation were an everyday occurrences.

On Christmas Day 2005, the three boys couldn't complete a game of Yahtzee without a scuffle breaking out. A family game of Balderdash degenerated into another fight.

Jonathan relishes the competition that baseball allows.

"You play this game because every day you have the chance to kick somebody's ass and win," Papelbon says. "That's what gets my motor going. And when you put me in that situation 30 to 45 times a year? That seals the deal for me."  (Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-9/25/07)

When the Papelbon boys started to attend the school’s baseball camp, it didn’t take long for their presence to come to the attention of longtime baseball coach and athletic director Bob West.

"You couldn’t put the three of them together," he says. "There was going to be a ruckus before it was over with."

Papelbon's father, John, is the deputy director of the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, which is located in the bowels of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

John resides in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife, Sheila, and commutes to the museum when it is open during Rays home games.

Jonathan's first job was as a ham glazer in Jacksonville.

Papelbon was recruited to Mississippi State University as a first baseman. He was throwing the ball around the infield one day in 2000 when the team's pitching coach asked if he would like to pitch, to get some more playing time.

''Hell yeah," Papelbon responded.

Jon's nickname is "The Animal" because of his fun-loving personality.

Jonathan's father, John, credits former Sox pitcher Al Nipper with helping Jonathan reach the big leagues quicker than he ever imagined.

"Nipper took Jonathan under his wing in the Florida Instructional League and taught him a lot and he was the one who was instrumental in getting him to the majors as quick as he did," the elder Papelbon said during the 2008 American League Champion Series, which Boston lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. "We always knew he was good, but not this good."

During the offseason before 2005 spring camp, Jon worked at a Budweiser brewery, hauling cases of beer.

Since he was a youngster, Jon has admired Roger Clemens. He finally got to meet him before the 2006 Opening Day vs. the Texas Rangers in an Arlington hotel lobby.

''I didn't know he knew who I was," Papelbon said. ''Meeting a lifetime idol is pretty neat, man, pretty neat. I shook his hand. He had a death grip. I wanted to tell him, 'Pretty good handshake there.'"

It remained unclear why the winner of the bet was the one forced to pay up.

''If you're going to pitch that well and make bets," a perplexed Foulke said, ''you shouldn't pitch well and embarrass yourself."

Jonathan bought a condo in Jacksonville, Florida for his two twin brothers, Jeremy, a Chicago Cubs farm hand, and Joshua, a reliever in the Red Sox system. Jonathan lives part of the year in Jax with his wife, Ashley, when they're not in Mississippi.

When Papelbon comes in from the bullpen to close out a game, he steps off the back of the mound after throwing his warmup pitches, bows his head, and says a prayer of thanks.

Thank you, God, for giving me the ability to come out on this particular night. Thank you for letting me come out on this mound in front of 40,000 people and get to do what I love to do and use this ability that you gave me for something good in this world. Amen.

"Once I do that," he says, "it's game time." (Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-9/25/07)

Jonathan appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on October 31, 2007, after the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series.

On December 20, 2007, Papelbon claimed that his dog "Boss," chewed up the ball that recorded the final out of the 2007 World Series.

On October 10, 2008, Papelbon's shutout inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS gave him the record for the most career scoreless postseason innings at 20 2/3 over 13 outings, pushing him past Joe Niekro's 20 innings.

Papelbon pats veteran Boston cop Billy Dunn on the shoulder every time as he exits the Fenway Park bullpen.

In December 2008, Papelbon's wife Ashley gave birth to the couple's first child, Parker Alice Papelbon, who checked in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

October 11, 2009: Jonathan allowed the first earned runs of his career in the postseason, after 27 consecutive scoreless innings. The Angels came from three runs behind to beat the Red Sox in Game 3 of the Division Series.

Papelbon has a three-legged French bulldog named Boss. He puts sunglasses on him and turns him loose in the Red Sox clubhouse during spring training, on occasion.

April 17, 2010: Jonathan was present for the birth of his son, Gunner Robert.

With the Phillies in 2012, Papelbon began calling himself  "Cinco Ocho," a label that began as a nickname coined by former teammate Alex Cora but has since morphed into an entity that he considers to be his alter-ego.

What goes through Papelbon's mind is not to be dissected. "I'm being totally honest with you," he said during his 2003 return to Boston for the first time with the Phillies after spending seven years with the Red Sox. "There's really nothing going on in here."

Papelbon said he has never thought about what it would be like if he was still with the Red Sox. But he expected success for them this season under their new manager, John Farrell, who was Papelbon's pitching coach from 2007-2010. (Editor's note: Good call, Pap. The Sox won the World Series in 2013.)

After the 2013 season, in which he said he "hadn't seen any leadership," the righthander decided to make a change.  "You've just got to reassess the situation, man," he said. "Just try to do your best to reorganize your thoughts and refocus your thoughts and try to do everything you can to be a part of the winning equation."

That equation started with Papelbon's stepping into a leadership role. After the 2013 season, he became the eighth pitcher in MLB history to earn at least 25 saves in eight consecutive seasons. Papelbon tied his career high with five victories. But he had seven blown saves, the most since 2010, with six of them taking place with two outs in the inning. And for the first time in Papelbon's career, he had three consecutive blown saves—from June 19 through June 24.

As the most decorated reliever in the Phillies' bullpen, he has taken it upon himself to develop the leadership he didn't see last year, starting with the relief corps. "I feel like my area of expertise is the bullpen," he said. "I'm trying to do everything I can to make sure that the bullpen goes in the right direction."

Phillies righthander B. J. Rosenbergsaid Papelbon's increased leadership role has already shown benefits both on and off the mound. "I've said all along, he's been huge for me," Rosenberg said. "Not only did he teach me the split when I first got called up, but … I've just felt comfortable going to him."  Rosenberg, entering his third season in the Major Leagues, said he has seen a difference in a clubhouse that lacked leaders when he first arrived. (Woods - mlb.com - 3/27/14)

"It means a lot to me, more than what most people would probably think," Papelbon said. "I started this a long time ago and I was supposed to be a starter. It's been a long journey since then. I don't know how happy he was when I told him I wanted to do that, but it's all turned out the way I expected it and hoped it would. I got to keep working hard and keep putting in the work to stay healthy, and hopefully try to get another 300 if I stay healthy.

"I've been able to take care of my body and take care of my arm, and do the things to stay healthy. I've been fortunate enough to stay off the DL for my entire career. Knowing that and knowing when you need a day off, and knowing when to push it, is a big key. The closer is a volatile role and I knew that going into it."

Aware of his place in history, Papelbon has no intentions of stopping and knows full well, after starting his career in Boston, who sits atop the saves list. That would be former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, with 652.

"Well you know, the closer's role is what it is today because of Mariano Rivera," Papelbon said. "There is no other man that is solely responsible for it but him. In my opinion, he made the role what it is today and I've told him many a time that he's the godfather of all closers." (Radano - mlb.com - 6/10/14)

September 15, 2014: Papelbon was suspended for seven games and fined an undisclosed amount for his actions in the top of the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Umpire Joe West ejected Papelbon after he made an obscene gesture toward the crowd.

The righthander insisted he wasn't making a vulgar motion toward fans as he walked off the field to boos after giving up four runs in the ninth inning of Philadelphia's 5-4 loss to theMiami Marlins. He apologized to Phillies fans in the statement.

"While I completely understand how the fans would perceive my gesture while being booed, it was not my intent whatsoever to insult the fans of Philadelphia," Papelbon said. "If it was perceived in that manner, I sincerely apologize."

Papelbon was ejected by West after the umpire thought Papelbon grabbed his crotch in response to the jeers from the crowd.

"The whole thing started because the fans booed him and he made an obscene gesture. He had no business doing that," West said. "He's got to be more professional than that. And that's why he was ejected."

The fiery reliever jogged out of the dugout and got into a face-to-face argument with West, who grasped the pitcher's jersey to hold him off, and Papelbon then argued with first-base umpire Marty Foster. Papelbon threw a cup of liquid on the field before leaving the dugout.

September 25, 2015: Papelbon received a three-game suspension from Major League Baseball for intentionally throwing a pitch near the head of Orioles third baseman Manny Machado.

Shortly after news of the suspension was released, the Nationals announced that Papelbon planned to appeal his suspension. Papelbon can play until a decision on his suspension is handed down, per MLB rules.

"We know he's appealed," manager Matt Williams said. But Papelbon dropped his appeal and began serving the three-game suspension.

September 28, 2015: The Nationals also announced that Papelbon was suspended for four games without pay after the confrontation with Bryce Harper and would begin serving that suspension immediately, effectively ending his season.

February 19. 2016: Perhaps the most anticipated player to arrive at Nationals camp was Jonathan Papelbon, back with the team for the first time since a dugout incident on Sept. 27 in which he grabbed teammate Bryce Harper by the neck.

During a 10-minute media session—Papelbon's first comments since serving a suspension for what he called one of the low points of his career—Papelbon expressed remorse, apologizing publicly to Harper, the team, coaches and the fans.

"I think that with what happened last year, I was in the wrong," Papelbon said. "Should have never went down that way, and I understand that. I had a lot of time this offseason to reflect on that. I've had three months to think about it."

Papelbon revealed that he apologized to the entire team after the game that day. He reached out to offer Harper a separate personal apology during the offseason, and both players have said the issue is resolved. Papelbon even said he texted Harper to wish him luck in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting, which he later won unanimously.

The Nationals suspended Papelbon for four games as a result of the altercation, which, coupled with a three-game suspension from Major League baseball for throwing near the head of Baltimore's Manny Machado, ended Papelbon's season.

"The last week of the season, for me personally, that was tough," Papelbon said. "Obviously you want to finish the season out with your teammates that you've been fighting with all year long. But I had to do what I had to do and step aside from the team. It was a tough time, probably one of the toughest points of my career." (J Collier - MLB.com - February 19, 2016)

TRANSACTIONS

June 2003: The Red Sox drafted him in the fourth round, out of Mississippi State University. He signed for a bonus of $264,500. Joe Mason was the scout who signed him.

On March 6, 2008, the Red Sox and Papelbon agreed to a one-year contract worth $775,000 with a $25,000 bonus for making the All-Star team.

January 20, 2009: Jonathan and the Red Sox avoided salary arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $6.25 million contract. It was the largest deal in history for a closer who was eligible for arbitration for the first time.

January 19, 2010: Papelbon and the Red Sox again avoided arbitration when they agreed to a one-year, $9.35 million contract with another $150,000 in incentives.

January 19, 2011: Papelbon and the Red Sox avoided arbitration one last time, agreeing on a one-year, $12 million pact.

November 11, 2011: Papelbon and the Phillies to a four-year, $50 million deal that also includes a vesting option that could take it to $63 million over five seasons.

July 28, 2015: The Nationals sent P Nick Pivetta to the Phillies, with Papelbon going to Washington.

Papelbon has an 90-96 mph FASTBALL that has a hard run and boring action. He has a very good 88-92 mph two-seam sinker. He also has a hard, tight SLIDER that has cutting action and is a good pitch, a hammer CURVEBALL he can throw for strikes for a fourth pitch, and a fosh changeup that he has made into a nasty SPLITTER. 

In 2005, thanks to Curt Schilling, Jon added the 85-87 mph SPLIT-FINGER pitch to his repertoire. Pitchers can't distinguish it from his fastball. It has both power and depth—good downward action.

"I learned it the splitter from Curt in (2005) spring training," Papelbon said. "And while I still throw 75 percent fastballs, I've been throwing as many as 20 splitters per game. It's a more natural feel for me than the change. My change was actually more of a fosh—a change with a split-finger grip—which I learned from (minor league pitching coordinator) Al Nipper. Curt showed me how he grips his, and now mine is more of a real split than a fosh."

He comes down and in with his slider against lefthanded batters. When it is on, he gets them out with that pitch.

Jon has a bulldog makeup and attitude for success—highly competitve and strong mentally. He is able to battle out of jams. He is confident and he is accountable. And he is good enough to succeed.

"I don't want to go to the big leagues and just make it," Papelbon said. "I'm going for all the records I can."

April 22, 2006: With his eighth save in eight opportunities to begin his Major League career Papelbon surpassed Dick Radatz'sRed Sox club record of seven.

However, Papelbon had one save chance in 2005 and blew it, August 27 vs. the Tigers, when he entered in the sixth inning with a 7-5 lead, gave up three runs, and absorbed both the loss and a blown save. So Papelbon didn't really break Radatz's record. The club record the Sox will credit Papelbon with the most consecutive saves in a closer's role to begin a Major League career.

While closing has brought him notoriety, starting has always been his dream. Papelbon has always wanted to emulate his hero, Roger Clemens.

Papelbon's natural throwing motion is almost freakishly efficient. Before he releases the ball, his right wrist is bent farther back than most pitchers, keeping his palm under the ball and his fingers entirely behind it. Think of a loaded catapult, with all that stored energy. When the arm comes forward and the wrist—the catapult in this case—releases, the ball comes out of his hand with extraordinary spin. The effect is that his fastball doesn't sink as much as most fastballs in the last five feet to the plate but instead creates the illusion of "hopping," or what hitters call "late life."

A hitter is physically unable to track a 97-mph fastball in its last five feet, relying instead on the stored memory of thousands of pitches to fill in the blanks of its likely path. But Papelbon's fastball appears to leave the expected path and then "disappears." "He's got that four-seam life on his fastball, that little oomph at the end, that you just can't teach," says Kevin Millar. "And like that's not enough, he has a devastating splitter. Pap's split is the best in the league." (Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-9/25/07)

Papelbon had three straight years in which his WHIP has been below 1.00 (.776 in 2006, .771 in 2007, and .952 in 2008).

But in 2009 his WHIP was up. Why?

"I've changed my delivery, kind of added a little bit more power to it," Papelbon said. "When you make adjustments in this game, you're going to have to take the good with the bad, and maybe right now I'm throwing a little bit more pitches than I have in the past. To me, I'm still not overworking myself because by changing my mechanics, it's able to take some of that pressure off my arm. So throwing 15 pitches the old way is the same as throwing 25 the new way."

In addition to changing where he sets his hands (from his waist to his shoulder), Papelbon is driving more with his lower body.

Only Jonathan, Billy Wagner, and Mariano Rivera have saved at least 250 games with a career ERA of 2.50 or below. And he's one of just five pitchers to ever save at least 30 games in at least seven straight seasons (as of June 2013).

September 5, 2006: Papelbon was diagnosed with a tired shoulder—technically a "transient subluxation event"—but not the torn labrum that he feared.

Red Sox team physician Dr. Thomas Gill said Papelbon's shoulder had slipped slightly without becoming dislocated. That was easier for the Red Sox to understand than the technical term.

As a reliever, it would be more difficult for Papelbon to stay on a strength program because he'd be pitching much more frequently. But the Sox have put him on the same in-season program they gave Josh Beckett, who was able to work 200 innings for the first time in his career last season.  (Nick Cafardo-Boston Globe-1/4/07)