Closer Jonathan Papelbon has won the inaugural This Year in Baseball’s Closer of the Year. More than 9.6 million votes were cast worldwide. From mlb.com:
The closer was simply dominant all year long, and he was selected as the Closer of the Year in MLB.com’s annual This Year In Baseball Awards.
Papelbon was the man of the people — as voting was done exclusively by fans at MLB.com.
But this was far more than a popularity contest. Instead, it was the latest tribute to the type of lights-out work Papelbon performed at last call.
In helping the Red Sox to their first American League East title since 1995, Papelbon posted a 1.85 ERA over 59 outings. He converted 37 of 40 save opportunities while striking out 84 batters over 58 1/3 innings.