Jonathan Papelbon debuts with meaningful save in Nationals' 1-0 win

MIAMI - Jonathan Papelbon was on the mound to save the deciding game for Boston in the 2007 World Series. In fact, the 34-year-old has seven postseason saves and a staggering 342 in the regular season coming into today's game - 12th best in Major League Baseball history - over his 11-year career. Yet, when Nationals manager Matt Williams called on Papelbon to finish off the Marlins in the ninth today, the veteran closer experienced emotions he said he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Want me to be honest? (I was) pretty nervous," Papelbon said after making his Nationals debut. "You come to a new team and you want to show them what you have, why you're here and everything that goes along with it. A lot of butterflies, but I had the butterflies flowing all in the same direction. So it was pretty good."

Papelbon came off the mound to throw out the pesky Ichiro Suzuki on a weak grounder to start the ninth. Christian Yelich lined a first-pitch heater to Anthony Rendon for the second out, and then Papelbon whiffed Michael Morse on a dirty slider to secure the Nationals' tight 1-0 win.

"He's not afraid to throw his fastball," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "He throws it in the strike zone, locates it and uses his other pitches. He was ready to go for the ninth. So we're glad to have him."

"Very aggressive guy, smart guy," Wilson Ramos added after catching Papelbon for the first time. "He's got really good stuff."

Papelbon was able to get to the pressure-packed stage in the ninth because of some stellar pitching once again from ace Max Scherzer. The Nationals managed just a solo homer from Ryan Zimmerman in the second, but Scherzer made it hold up, tossing seven scoreless innings while surrendering only three hits.

"I think the thing that Max did well today is when he needed to make pitches, he made 'em," Papelbon said. "And that's the true sign of a starting pitcher that knows how to pitch."

For the second straight game, former Nats closer Drew Storen took the hill in the eighth, tasked to preserve the one-run lead and get the ball to Papelbon. Storen needed just six pitches total to strike out J.T. Realmuto and Cole Gillespie before ending the frame by breaking Dee Gordon's bat on a weak groundout.

"I was in the shower with Storen. I said, 'Can you show me that slider grip tomorrow?' He was really, really good," Papelbon said.

Meanwhile, Scherzer enjoyed the relaxed feeling while watching the new look of the Nats' backend of the bullpen for the first time.

"It's great," he said with an excited laugh. "When you have two shutdown closers at the end ... man, that's what you want. It makes it easy when you're out of the game to hand the ball to those guys because you know they can get the job done. Hopefully, we get to watch them pitch a lot more."

Tuesday's trade took Papelbon from the cellar of the National League East with the Phillies to the penthouse with the Nats. To be part of a race to October is what excites him most.

"It adds everything," Papelbon said. "For me, that's the reason why I play the game. It's the reason why I'm away from family. It's the reason why I come to the yard every day. It's the way I came into the league ... pitching for meaningful teams and pitching for everything that's on the line. And I think that's when the best comes out in myself."