By Matthew Michaels
Things were looking good for the Washington Nationals, the preseason World Series favorites. Despite a slow start to the season and an unexpected threat from the New York Mets, the Nationals were still sitting comfortably in first place. Just to eliminate any questions, the Nats traded for Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon. With a great closer added to an already great squad, you may ask what could go wrong?
On Sept. 27, with the team on the cusp of elimination from playoff contention, the fiery closer apparently got into an argument with this year’s best player: 22-year old wonder kid Bryce Harper. Fights between baseball players are no rare occurrence, but when teammates scuffle like Papelbon and Harper did in the dugout, the level of concern exceeds that of the Phillies’ hapless lineup.
After Harper retreated to the dugout following a fly out in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game, the mouthy closer exchanged words with the NL MVP and grabbed his neck before the two had a shoving match. Papelbon entered the game tied at 4, but gave up a two-run home run to Andres Blanco. He proceeded to load the bases, with his final pitch resulting in a hit by pitch. When Matt Williams removed Papelbon from the game, Nationals Park exploded in a chorus of jeers. All told, the hapless Phillies lineup scored eight runs in the inning, and the Nats lost 12-5.
The interaction between the two is not surprising; Papelbon was recently ejected and suspended for intentionally hitting Manny Machado. Harper’s reaction was, “I’ll probably get drilled tomorrow,” referring to the tradition of hitting the other team’s best batter as retaliation. Papelbon was only able to pitch Sunday because he was appealing his three-game suspension.
The newest event should not come as a surprise as Papelbon is possibly the worst teammate in the league, and his arrival in Washington coincided with the team’s collapse. Collapses are not new to the pitcher, who was a member of the infamous 2011 Boston Red Sox that fell on its way to the finish line.
Entering play on July 31, the Nationals had a 54-46 record. Since then, the team has struggled to the tune of a 25-30 record. In hindsight, the trade that brought Papelbon to the capital is possibly the worst in franchise history, especially when considering that the Nats had a capable closer.
At the end of July, Drew Storen owned a 1.60 earned run average and completed 29 saves while only blowing two opportunities. In fact, he went all of July without allowing a run. When Papelbon came over, Storen became the eight-inning guy and immediately became worse. Over August and September, Storen converted none of his three save opportunities, and his ERA ballooned by allowing almost one run per inning pitched.
On Sept. 9, Storen, in a fit of rage, slammed his clubhouse locker, breaking his thumb in the process. Storen, like his Nationals teammates, had an early end to his season. Reliever Casey Janssen has similarly struggled since the trade.
Papelbon is not the only one to blame. Matt Williams, who inexplicably won Manager of the Year in his first season on the job in 2014, is a tactician’s nightmare and is overseeing one of the worst clubhouse meltdowns of all time. Williams should be fired as soon as the season is over and black-listed from all managerial openings. Injuries have also bitten the Nats, but no legitimate team can use that as an excuse.
Jonathan Papelbon is one of the greatest closers of all time, but his presence alone is a deteriorating force in the clubhouse. The Nationals would have been better off without him, and his latest episode is a national embarrassment.
