A contrite Washington Nationals reliever Jonathan Papelbon told reporters Friday that he’s apologized to the entire team for a late-season altercation with his NL MVP teammate Bryce Harper.
“I was in the wrong,” Papelbon said upon his arrival for spring training in Viera, Fla. “It should never have gone down that way and I understand that. I had a lot of time this offseason to reflect on that. . . . I have been in contact with Bryce, J-Dub (Jayson Werth) and (Max) Scherzer and all these guys. I think the main goal is to know everybody here has each other’s back.”
It was the first time Papelbon has spoke publicly about the incident in which he grabbed Harper’s throat during a game on Sept. 28. Papelbon was suspended four games without pay, a sanction Papelbon and the MLB Players Association filed grievance over.
Papelbon is in the final season of a contract the Nats inherited when the club acquired the closer from the Philadelphia Phillies before the July 31 trade deadline. He’s slated to make $11 million this season. Washington traded its former closer, Drew Storen, to the Toronto Blue Jays in the offseason.
