Dugout fight for Nats
Teammates have to separate Papelbon, Harper after blows.
National League MVP front-runner Bryce Harper and teammate Jonathan Papelbon got into a fight during a game Sunday, when a Washington Nationals season that long ago spiraled out of control on the field did so in the dugout.
After a flyout in the eighth inning of what became a 12-5 loss to the Phillies, Harper headed to the dugout, where he and Papelbon, the team’s closer, exchanged words. The argument escalated, and Papelbon reached out with his left hand and grabbed Harper by the throat.
Papelbon then shoved the outfielder toward the bench with both hands, before teammates pulled the pair apart.
“I mean, he apologized, so, whatever,” Harper said with a shrug afterward in the clubhouse, messy smears of eyeblack on his cheeks. “I really don’t care.”
Asked whether he had tangled with a teammate before, Harper responded: “Usually fighting the other team.”
Papelbon said: “I’m in the wrong there. ... For me, I can’t allow that to happen in the middle of a game. You can handle that after the games or allow the manager to handle that. So in that light of it, I’m wrong.”
Said Nationals manager Matt Williams, whose highly touted team was eliminated from playoff contention Saturday: “What I can tell you is this: This is a family issue and we’ll deal with it that way.”
Papelbon, who was acquired from the Phillies in a trade in late July, entered Sunday’s game in the eighth. He went back to the mound for the ninth in a 4-4 game. He took the loss after allowing five runs, including Andres Blanco’s go-ahead, two-run homer.
Angels: Los Angeles lost AL saves leader Huston Street to an apparently serious groin injury on Saturday night. Street was scheduled for an MRI late Sunday, but manager Mike Scioscia said the injury looks “significant.”
Mets: After making 29 starts this season, righthander Jonathon Niese will work out of the bullpen. “There was a need out there at the end of the season,” said Niese, who volunteered to make the move. “I just want to help the team.”
Blue Jays: Toronto’s regular-season finale Sunday was the 27th sellout of the season and 12th straight. The Blue Jays sold out 20 of their final 21 home games. Total home attendance was 2,794,891, the most since 1995. The Blue Jays drew 2,375,525 last year.
■ Left-hander Mark Buehrle, who pitched six innings Sunday, has reached at least 200 innings in 14 straight seasons. He has pitched 1911/3 this season, with at least one start remaining.
Cardinals: St. Louis recorded its 37th sellout of the season and finished with 3,520,889 in attendance. It is the second-highest attendance in the majors behind the Dodgers.