Former Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon has been suspended for three games following an incident in Wednesday's game against the Orioles. Papelbon threw up and in on Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado, beaning him on the upper arm, just a hair lower than his head.
"When you throw at somebody's head on purpose, first pitch, straight out the get-go, then you throw a curveball, then you throw again at the head, that's just … " Machado said Wednesday, using a street term. "You know it's coward stuff. It's just coward."
The hit by pitch came a couple of innings after Machado looked at his go-ahead two-run home run before trotting around the bases. According to ESPN, Papelbon's suspension will begin today, unless he decides to appeal, which Yahoo Sports! says he plans to. The Nationals closer didn't admit whether it was intentional or not, noting that he didn't really understand why he was ejected from the game.
"They just said they deemed it intentional, and they didn't give me any reason," Papelbon said after Wednesday's incident. "I don't know if they have to give me any reason or not, but perception is reality.
"If Manny thinks I hit him, then that's what he thinks. I'm not going to sit here and go back and forth whether I did or whether I didn't, because it doesn't matter. If he thinks I did, that's what he thinks."
You can see Papelbon's ejection here:
The Nationals begin a three-game series tonight against the Phillies in the nation's capitol.
Brandon Apter, Managing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
