"He's one of the most important players on the Red Sox, and yet we know almost nothing about him.

He makes the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World look like a monk. He strikes equal fear in opponents and teammates. He combines the terror of Jaws with the mystery of Nessie.

He is Cinco Ocho. And he is the Sphinx, the pyramids, a column on Easter Island — an enigma that is oft seen, but little understood.

"I don't know if I'm the right guy to answer that question," Red Sox reliever Dan Wheeler said. "I'm still trying to figure it out myself."

Many believe Cinco Ocho is simply closer Jonathan Papelbon, but the reality is the two share nothing except a body.

Papelbon is the player who pulls on his uniform before a game. Cinco Ocho is the alter ego he created years ago to slam the door, a serial killer who wears No. 58 (hence, the name) and closes games with malice.

"I think everybody's got a little bit of that in them, every good pitcher," said right-hander Daniel Bard. "You have to. We just don't all have a name for it. He does."

So who is Cinco Ocho? He's best viewed in juxtaposition to Papelbon.

Papelbon is fairly subdued. Cinco Ocho is raging id. Papelbon might lie on the clubhouse couch and play along with Discovery Channel's "Cash Cab" (he's better than you'd think). Cinco Ocho is more likely to cause a scene like Sunday's, when he screamed his ABCs while the rest of the clubhouse tried to listen to their unofficial anthem, "Out Here Grindin'?" by DJ Khaled after a 7-0 victory against the Angels."