Papelbon: I was wrong to choke Harper
The first thing Jonathan Papelbon did Friday upon arriving for his first spring training with the Washington Nationals was take responsibility for the wildly embarrassing choking incident from back in September, when he attacked eventual NL MVP Bryce Harper in the dugout for not running out a fly ball.
As he reiterated his contrition, however, and fielded questions from team reporters at his club's spring complex in mid-eastern Florida, Papelbon said he won't discuss the incident anymore moving forward.
"Me and Bryce, we're good," Papelbon said. "Like we've both said. I've apologized to him. I've apologized to my teammates. I want to apologize to the fans and the coaches and everyone included, and I think that with what happened last year, I was in the wrong."
The Nationals felt that way, too, with general manager Mike Rizzo condemning Papelbon's behavior as "not acceptable" and suspending his newly acquired closer for the remainder of the season. The punishment hurt, Papelbon said, describing the team-mandated suspension as one of the lowest points of his career.
Still, while that embarrassing incident epitomized an altogether rough season in Washington, Papelbon said it was a catalyst for some positive introspection, as well.
"I've done a lot of reflecting, and I think sometimes in life, good things can come out of bad situations. So I've been in contact with Bryce and (Jayson Werth) and (Max) Scherzer and all these guys, and I think the main goal is to know that everybody here has each other's back."
Having moved past the incident, the 35-year-old is now set to begin his first full season as Washington's closer completely unfettered (and with a strong sense of job security, thanks to an offseason deal that sent Drew Storen to Toronto for Ben Revere). Heading into the final year of his contract, Papelbon is coming off another strong campaign in which he authored a 2.13 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP in 59 appearances, albeit with his fewest saves (24) since his 2005 debut season.