Former Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon reflected on his tumultuous time in Philadelphia on Thursday's 94WIP Midday Show.
"Obviously, and I'm not afraid to say this and I've said it while I was there, 'I didn't come to Philadelphia for this.' I came there after I think a four or five year playoff run, winning a World Series. We had Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chooch behind the plate, I could go on and on. And two of the three years I was the only guy who made the All-Star game. We had guys that were getting hurt, we had a lot of players that were starting to fizzle, so to speak. Roy Halladay was starting to have his troubles. Chase couldn't stay healthy. Rhino had tore his ACL a couple years before, never really came back after that. We hit that proverbial old man wall, I think. I think Ruben Amaro, as the GM at the time, was handcuffed. He [only] had so much money he could spend and guys were getting hurt. I think I did say, 'I didn't come here for this.' I think the Philly fans got a little bit upset with me. They didn't quite understand, I came here to win baby. And, you know, I don't know—it didn't go the way I expected. But man, we had a great team and I'll always remember that time."
Papelbon played for the Phillies from 2012 until the 2015 trade deadline, when he was dealt for Nick Pivetta.
Papelbon, who is the Phillies' all-time leader in saves with 123 in 138 opportunities, was subject to a declining Phillies team that was coming off one of their best eras in franchise history. In 2014, Papelbon was booed at Citizens Bank Park after blowing a save and then made an obscene gesture at the fans.
Papelbon also talked about his incident in Washington with Bryce Harper, the rest of the Phillies' season, the MLB pitch clock, and the New York Mets' struggles.
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