"Jonathan Papelbon dropped down to one knee and unzipped the overnight bag laid out in front of his locker. Shifting some items aside, he spotted the faded, game-used baseball in the front, left-hand corner.

Smiling, he now placed yet another faded, game-used baseball next to the first one, and then he closed the case.

Papelbon apparently lost the baseball he used to strike out the Colorado Rockies' Seth Smith for the final out of the 2007 World Series. The Red Sox closer's story, and he's sticking to it, is that the family pet ate the historic baseball.

It won't happen again. The first baseball in the suitcase was from the Red Sox' 4-0 victory over the Orioles Monday night, in which Papelbon recorded his 132nd career save to tie Bob Stanley for most in franchise history.

The second baseball? It was the one the Orioles' Aubrey Huff popped to shortstop Julio Lugo [stats] for the final out in the Sox' 11-inning, 6-5 victory yesterday afternoon, earning Papelbon his club record 133rd career save."