A Game of “Papel”ball?

Kunaal Gautam ‘18

On September 1st, 2014, the Philadelphia Phillies’ pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, completed a stunning combined no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves. The stadium was suffused with commotion, as Papelbon celebrated the achievement with the rest of his team on the pitcher’s mound.

The following season, Papelbon was traded to the Washington Nationals, the archrivals of the Phillies. He continued to perform exceptionally well, securing wins for the Nationals. His exceptional performances were lauded by the audience until September 23rd, 2015, when his baseball career took a sharp turn.

On that night, the Nationals faced off against the Baltimore Orioles, a team that consists of arguably some of the most talented baseball players in the league. During the top of the seventh inning, the third baseman, Manny Machado completed an impressive home run when he firmly hit the baseball thrown by the Nationals’ starting pitcher, Max Scherzer. When the Nationals switched to Papelbon as their replacement pitcher on the top of the ninth inning, Papelbon hurled a fastball directly at the hitter Machado, and hit Machado on his upper arm near his head.

Instantly, Papelbon was ejected from the game by home plate umpire, Mark Ripperger.

Papelbon received further consequences after the MLB Commission decided to suspend him for three games on September 25th. Papelbon was successfully able to appeal the suspension, escaping the harsh penalties that could oust his figure in Major League Baseball. However, two days later, Jonathan Papelbon grabbed teammate Bryce Harper’s neck and shoved him into the bench after an argument. Papelbon was immediately suspended by the Nationals for four games. Papelbon dropped the appeal, with seven days left in the season.

Daz Patel ’17 remarks, “Papelbon was one of the pitchers who never showed interest towards benefiting his team… In a span of only four days, he committed two mistakes which will reflect badly on his career in the future. Honestly, Papelbon deserves the suspension. Maybe it will give him some time to show his appreciation and decency to his fellow teammates and players.”

Nina Punwani ‘18 responds with a different point of view: “to be honest, baseball is a game, and games lead to two different outcomes—a win or loss. In this case, Papelbon lost his temper, and it happens. Just look at Nyjer Morgan’s ejections, or look at the infamous altercation between A­Rod and Varitek. These two events were far worse than what Papelbon displayed. Papelbon is a key player to the Nationals, and if he messes up, all of the pressure is on him, so I’d expect a prominent player like him to get angry here and there. He shouldn’t be penalized so severely. Maybe two games at the most.”

While many critics disapprove of Papelbon’s behavior, many hope that this accident will not disfigure the outstanding reputation that Papelbon had built for the past ten years.