Red-hot closers making a difference

The Phillies and Red Sox have taken early leads in their playoff series, and two big keys to their success have pitched the ninth inning of all three games.

All due respect to the record-setting season of the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez, but the best season by a big-league closer is by Brad Lidge. The no-doubt-about-it winner of NL Comeback Player of the Year was 41 for 41 in save situations in the regular season and is 4 for 4 in the playoffs.

This season is erasing some bad memories for the Phillies' closer. He seemed to lose confidence after a rocky postseason in 2005. He had 19 saves but blew eight opportunities last season in Houston, and lost his job at one point. But that's all in the past.

"I look at it this way: it happened and it's made me, I think, more mentally tough right now, here in the playoffs, because I've been there before," Lidge told SI.com. "But I do want to get back to the World Series and win it and have that to be the last image in my mind for the postseason."

And for Boston, Jonathan Papelbon just keeps blowing opponents away in the postseason. With a save in Game 1 of the ALCS in Tampa, he improved to 20 2/3 career postseason innings without allowing a run, two outs further than Joe Niekro's old record at the start of a career.

"For me, it's all about taking it to another level. It matters a little bit more in the postseason," Papelbon said to MLB.com. You can look at all these great players throughout history, and none of them are really remembered until they win championships or they do special things in postseason. I've kind of always taken that to heart with my play. That's all I can say, really."