Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper served a league-mandated one-game suspension on Saturday night.
Harper dropped his appeal of the suspension and sat out the second game of a doubleheader.
It was a logical time for Harper to serve the suspension. The Nationals were able to call up an extra man to the roster — outfielder Matt den Dekker — because of Saturday’s doubleheader, plus it allows Harper to put the suspension behind him before the Nationals head to New York City next Tuesday to begin a three-game series with the division rival New York Mets.
Harper was suspended and fined for running back onto the field, after being ejected, to celebrate teammate Clint Robinson’s walk-off home run last Monday. Harper turned to umpire Brian Knight, who had thrown Harper out for arguing balls and strikes less than five minutes earlier, and screamed an expletive at him.
Afterward, Harper said he would pay a fine and wondered if the umpire would be fined as well. He later said the only part he was sorry about was that his mother saw him scream a swear word on television. He said he texted her an apology after the game.
In four-plus major league seasons, Harper has been ejected seven times. He was named the youngest unanimous MVP in baseball history last season.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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