Red Sox World Series champion makes unexpected return to baseball with Savannah Bananas

Former Red Sox star Jon Papelbon makes epic cameo in Savannah Bananas game

Jon Papelbon, the formidable closer who won a ring with the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and remains the Philadelphia Phillies’ all-time saves leader, returned to the mound this weekend in delightfully unexpected fashion.

Pitchers usually only bring their gloves to the mound, but when Papelbon took the field for the Savannah Bananas on Saturday night, he wore one of the team’s bright yellow kilts and carried the 2007 World Series trophy in his arms.

The trophy then perched on the mound for his entire appearance, which include an Irish jig of sorts.

Papelbon isn’t the first former Sox star to *peel* off from the big leagues and join the unique team in the Coastal Plain League. 75-year-old Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee is a regular fixture on the mound in Bananaland.

The Bananas wrapped up their season on Saturday night in grand fashion, but it’s safe to say their lively and unique brand of baseball won’t be going anywhere soon. They’ve been a fascinating and thrilling fixture in the sports world since their inaugural season in 2016.

Meanwhile, Papelbon never technically retired from MLB and says he never will. At 41 years old, he’s actually younger than current Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill, who was also his teammate on the Sox in 2010-11. If the Sox need bullpen help (they do), it looks like he’s *ripe for the picking.*

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