Nationals' Papelbon rips home fans for lack of enthusiasm
Jonathan Papelbon sounded off about the home fans at Nationals Park following Washington's dramatic 5-2 walk-off victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
There were several crucial moments leading up to Michael Taylor's walk-off blast in the bottom of the 10th inning, and Papelbon wasn't thrilled with the atmosphere at the ballpark.
Related: Taylor's heroic blast lifts Nationals past Braves
"I got a bone to pick with some of the fans here tonight," Papelbon said postgame. "I'm not gonna lie. We need to stand up in those situations. Let's get that going. Ya know what I mean? Because this is playoff baseball."
The Nationals trailed 2-1 and were down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth when Matt den Dekker delivered an RBI single to send the contest to extras. Papelbon also tossed two scoreless innings in relief to pick up his third win of the campaign, but pleaded with manager Matt Williams to let him do even more for the club.
"I was yelling at him 'get me up there, let me hit,' Papelbon added.
Papelbon, who has converted all 23 of his save chances this year, frequently voiced his displeasure with the Philadelphia Phillies organization, which ultimately resulted in him being traded to Washington in July.
The Nationals trail the New York Mets by five games for top spot in the National League East.