Ceci Ferrara
September 28, 2015
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
They held onto diminishing hope as long as possible, but on Saturday, the Washington Nationals were officially eliminated from playoff contention despite a 2-1 extra innings win over Philadelphia.
“I’m more surprised than anything else, I think. I never thought we’d end up here,” outfielder Jayson Werth said. “Obviously, we’ve underachieved. We haven’t played well….I would’ve never thought we’d be sitting here, having this conversation, with seven or eight games left. Would’ve bet the other way.”
The Nats headed into the 2015 season with the best odds (6:1) to win the World Series. Many thought that after last year’s early exit, their off-season moves–including acquiring Cy-Young winner Max Scherzer from Detroit–positioned them for almost certain post-season success. And for the first half of the season, they appeared to be right.
Washington entered the All-Star Break at 48-39; first place in the NL East. But after, they were unable to compensate for various stumbling blocks that caused their downfall, including long-term injuries to key offensive players such as Werth, center fielder Denard Span and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, and bullpen inconsistencies.
Scherzer, the $210-million off-season acquisition, started the season at 10-7, including his first career no-hitter against Pittsburgh on June 20th. But after the break he lost five of his last seven starts. His decline, which baffled him as much as anyone, was just one piece of the larger puzzle.
The Mets gained sole possession of first place in the division in early August, and despite a late-season rally by the Nats, clinched the division on Saturday for the first time since 2006. With a 10-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds, the Mets eliminated Washington (79-75) from playoff contention. Catching up to New York (88-67) was the only chance the Nats had at the post-season; they were already out of the wild-card race.
The loss was disappointing both the team and fans alike. Both were hoping this would be the year the Nationals made up for their first-round playoff exits in 2012 and 2014. Instead, as in 2013, they will miss the post-season all together.
“It’s tough to play,” Werth said after the elimination, “when you really don’t have anything to play for.”
Jonathan Papelbon
Fans at the final home game of the season saw an unexpected performance when relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon started a scuffle with outfielder Bryce Harper in the dugout during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Harper was returning to the dugout after flying out to the eighth when the relief pitcher, acquired from the Phillies in July, began yelling at him. The two exchanged words before Papelbon lunged at the right-fielder and pinned him against a wall before the two were separated by teammates.
Despite the brawl, manager Matt Williams sent Papelbon to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. The reliever gave up a two-run home run to give the Phillies the lead, and ultimately, win. After fans criticized Williams’ decision to pitch Papelbon, the Nationals’ manager said he was unaware of the extent of the fight. He claimed that if he had, he would not have allowed him to pitch.
Papelbon was suspended for four-games (without pay) for his brawl with Harper, and was given an additional three-game suspension from Major League Baseball
for appearing to intentionally hit Baltimore Orioles’ Manny Machado last week.
Due to his suspensions, Papelbon will not play for the remainder of the season. It remains unclear what, if anything, his behavior means for his future with the organization.
