Papelbon's presence gives Sox edge.

Byline: Paul JARVEY

COLUMN: PAUL JARVEY

BOSTON - As hyper as Jonathan Papelbon is, you figure he might have been bouncing off the walls this week, waiting for the ALCS to start.

Instead, he's relished the time off to recover from last weekend's cross-country trip. He didn't pitch in the decisive Game 3 in Anaheim, but all that celebrating can tire a guy out.

Now, he's ready to go again against the Cleveland Indians.

The Sox and Tribe are about as evenly matched as two teams get. Both won 96 games and looked dominant in their first-round playoff victories. The teams feature powerful lineups, potent starting pitchers and solid bullpens.

The difference is Papelbon. He is why the Sox are favored in the best-of-seven series, why they should win.

The Indians can match the Red Sox weapon for weapon, but they don't have anyone like Boston's 26-year-old closer.

Instead, they have Joe Borowski, a 36-year-old journeyman who had a 5.07 ERA this year as he led the American League in both saves (45) and blown saves (8). Raw save numbers can be a bit misleading. Borowski was just 13 of 19 when asked to protect a one-run lead.

Still, Indians' manager Eric Wedge hasn't wavered in giving the ball to Borowski at the end of games.

"I think he's got a big set of onions, whatever you want to call them," Papelbon said of the Indians' closer. "He goes out there and challenges hitters, makes them swing at pitches and get themselves out."

That's code for saying he gives up lots of line drives.

If you saw Borowski's save in the ALDS final against the Yankees, you know how shaky this guy is. He survived, though, and he gets Papelbon's respect for that. He knows as well as anyone how hard it is to beat New York in Yankee Stadium.

And Borowski got the job done without the kind of overpowering stuff he has.

"Not anyone can go out there and throw strikes and command the zone like he does," Papelbon said. "He's just a pitcher that has a lot of heart."

"He has a lot of heart" is the baseball equivalent of "she's got a nice personality."

The odd thing about baseball is that there are a lot of "nice personality" guys who have been effective closers on good teams. Borowski, Detroit's Todd Jones and even Keith Foulke come to mind. Who knows how they do it, but they do.

Well, Papelbon knows. It's about being tough and not giving in.

"To me being a closer is more mental than physical," Papelbon said. "How you go about your business is more important than how you actually do your business."

That's why he can appreciate the work of Borowski even if it's not pretty and why he dismisses the suggestion that he is the more solid of the two closers.

"That's not a compliment to me," he said. "I'm going out there doing my job just like he is. The guy's got more than 45 saves this year. He's pretty (darn) good, helping his ballclub win."

This series figures to produce lots of close games like the back-to-back 1-0 gems the teams staged in July. That puts Papelbon and Borowski in the middle of the action.

If it's Papelbon vs. Travis Hafner or Borowski against David Ortiz, you don't need to be a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation to know which closer has the advantage.

Papelbon overmatched hitters in his second season as a closer. His .146 batting average against and 12.96 strikeouts per nine innings led all Major League relievers.

There are few more comforting sights in New England than the Red Sox' bullpen door swinging open and Papelbon jogging in toward the mound. He kind of enjoys it, too, which is why he went to manager Terry Francona in spring training and told him that he wanted to be a closer, not a starter.

Getting to do that in the spotlight of the playoffs is a bonus.

"It's a decision I made back in spring training to come to the park for 162 games during the regular season and do what made me happy," Papelbon said. "This is just the icing on the cake."

Papelbon has pitched 5-1/3 postseason relief innings in his young career and hasn't given up a run yet. He obviously likes the pressure of the big stage.

"In playoff settings, the bullpen takes on a larger role," he said. "Bullpens are the ones late in the game that either have to hold the lead or hold it there so their team can come back. We're sort of under a microscope."

Not everyone can survive under such conditions, but Papelbon has demonstrated that he can, giving his team the biggest advantage they have in this series.

Contact Paul Jarvey via e-mail at [e-mail].

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) The Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians may have finished with the same record in the regular season, but closer Jonathan Papelbon is the reason the Sox are favored in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. (2) Cleveland closer Joe Borowski led the American League in saves (45) but had a 5.07 ERA.

PHOTOG: AP FILE PHOTOS