Teammates are not supposed to all be best friends, but they are supposed to respect one another, but for Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, that was not the case yesterday.
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According to ESPN.com, Papelbon confronted Harper after the outfielder did not hustle out a pop fly. And there’s a follow-up, too: What do the Nationals do with Papelbon now?
Manager Matt Williams may not be in quite as good a situation as Harper or even Papelbon, however, as Rizzo seemed less than impressed with his lack of involvement in the dustup.
Before the start of the season, almost every baseball expert agreed the Nationals would be a playoff team.
Rizzo said he spoke Monday with Papelbon, who was upset with the suspension.
Williams said he did not see the extent of the fight until after the game.
With only a week left to go in the 2015 regular season, there are many questions to be answered. On Sunday, he did. He sent Papelbon back out for the ninth inning after the pitcher grabbed the throat of Harper.
Wisler has had his struggles during his rookie season, but he’s posted a 3.79 ERA over his last three after beating the Mets last Tuesday. Asked whether Papelbon can fit into the Nationals plans for next season, Williams answered: As it sits right now, Jonathans part of that, so we have to get past that and we have to come together as a team..
He was brought on in the eighth inning of a tie game on Sunday, after the Nationals’ bullpen blew another late lead and he recorded the final out of the inning. The Nationals were 52-46 when they added Papelbon and are 27-30 since.
“I would have done the same thing if I were Papelbon”, one player anonymously told Nitkowski. “I’ve been frustrated, and I’ve been happy. Everything’s not going to be flawless all the time”.
The campaign started with Twitter user “Johann”, a self-described baseball player and Nationals archivist from Fairfax, Virginia. “And Papelbon got away with it”.
What effect did Papelbon’s arrival have on Storen? Papelbon then proceeded to attack Harper when he argued back, causing a major scene in Washington’s dugout.
Will it end his brief run in the nation’s capital?
At issue here is the million Papelbon is owed for 2016.
“It’s something where I just want to play the game and play hard”. (He said is scheduled to be off on Monday).
Harper: “He apologized, so whatever”.
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Both players dismissed the issue by comparing the incident to brothers fighting.
