What began as a season with hopes of reaching the World Series for the Washington Nationals has deteriorated into a mess and reached a boiling point Sunday afternoon as teammates Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon came to blows in the team’s dugout.
The physical altercation occurred in the eighth inning when Harper popped out and Papelbon appeared to chide Harper for not running it out to first.
As the two continued to exchange words, Papelbon grabbed Harper by the throat and shoved the NL MVP front-runner into the back of the dugout wall before the two were pulled apart by teammates.
Papelbon went out and pitched the ninth while Harper was removed from the game. Papelbon allowed a go-ahead home run to the Phillies in the ninth before he was removed by manager Matt Williams.
The Nationals, who finished the 2014 season with 96 wins at the top of the NL East, were eliminated from the post-season Saturday and had lost four of their last five games before Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies, Papelbon’s former team.
Papelbon was handed a three-game suspension by Major League Baseball for knocking down Baltmore Orioles star Manny Machado on Wednesday. He appealed the suspension and has been allowed to play until the appeal is heard.
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Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays, who have clinched a playoff berth Saturday, clawed back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning Sunday leading to a walk-off home run by Josh Donaldson.
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