The Washington Nationals have suspended closer Jonathan Papelbon for his role in a dugout fight and altercation with outfield Bryce Harper over the weekend. Matt Williams and the team made the announcement on Monday that Papelbon would be suspended by the Nats following his MLB suspension, which will last for four games.
Papelbon made headlines after he got into a verbal altercation and reached for the neck of Harper in a dugout fight on Sunday. According to ESPN.com, Papelbon confronted Harper after the outfielder did not hustle out a pop fly. The two started yelling at each other and soon after that, Papelbon could be seen reaching and grabbing the neck of Harper. After the game the two said that they worked out any issues and that they are like "brothers" fighting.
Papelbon has had attitude issues before and he is already set to serve a suspension for throwing at Manny Machado previously. Now Papelbon will have another four games added to that from the Nationals, which means he is suspended for seven games total, essentially ending his season. The fight was just another bad image for the Nationals, who have been disappointing and also lost the game on Sunday.
The game took an odd turn after the fight, as Papelbon later was called to try and close out the game and ended up giving up a home run. Williams said that he did not know about the altercation after allowing Papelbon back on the mound and there is a chance he would have pulled him out had he realized what happened. Either way, Papelbon now will finish the season with a suspension and the future for the closer, the manager and the Nationals team overall is up in the air.
The team has a number of key free agents like Jordan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond hitting the market and Williams may not return next season. The Nats came in as one of the overwhelming favorites to make it to the World Series, but the team will not even be making the playoffs this season. The team likely will undergo some major moves and there is a chance that Williams or Mike Rizzo could get fired.
Check here for more on the suspension.
Check here for more on the fight between the two players, including VIDEO of the altercation.
