Red Sox activate Wagner, release Penny

BOSTON (AP) — Billy Wagner showed up in his new clubhouse and found a No. 13 Boston Red Sox jersey waiting for him.

How did he end up with that symbol of bad luck?

“Not too hard. It was in my locker,” the left-hander with 385 career saves said Thursday. “I’m coming to a new team. I can’t ask for nothing.”

Not after being told his career was over. Not after pitching just 11 months after having Tommy John elbow surgery. And not after going from the struggling New York Mets to the contending Red Sox.

Even if his new team already has one of baseball’s best closers, Jonathan Papelbon.

Wagner took the roster spot of another former National Leaguer, struggling starter Brad Penny. He was released after going 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA this season and just 1-6 in his last 11 starts. The Red Sox had signed him to a $5 million, one-year

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