Washington Nationals pitcher Jonathan Papelbon was suspended for four games without pay on Monday following his dugout brawl with star outfielder Bryce Harper, the Major League Baseball team said in a statement.
Papelbon lunged at Harper in an ugly confrontation on Sunday that added insult to injury after the Nationals were officially eliminated from playoff contention a day earlier.
“The behavior exhibited by Papelbon yesterday is not acceptable,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement announcing the punishment.
“That is not at all in line with the way our players are expected to conduct themselves, and the Nationals organization will not tolerate it in any way.”
The four-game suspension will begin after Papelbon completes a three-game ban issued by MLB following a separate incident in a match against the Baltimore Orioles last week, effectively ruling Papelbon out of the remainder of the season.
Harper, seen as the frontrunner for the National League’s MVP award this year after a stellar season, skirmished with Papelbon as the Nationals slumped to a 12-5 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Harper later moved to draw a line under the flare-up, likening it to a scuffle between siblings.
“He apologized. Whatever. It is like brothers fighting,” said Harper.
Papelbon meanwhile accepted responsibility for the fight.
“I am in the wrong there,” Papelbon said. “There is a lot of competition and it’s a long season. It is a grind.”