SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 29: Jeff Samardzija #29 of the San Francisco Giants goes after Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals after Harper charged the mound from being hit by a pitch from Hunter Strickland #60 in the top of the eighth inning at AT&T Park on May 29, 2017 in San Francisco, California. Giants Michael Morse #38 jumps in the middle as National's Daniel Murphy #20 tries to pull Harper away. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
After an altercation on Monday with San Francisco’s Hunter Strickland left Nationals star Bryce Harper with a four-game suspension, Fox News reports that Harper’s suspension will be reduced to three games by Major League Baseball.
The suspension will still begin Wednesday night against San Francisco as the series concludes, but after an appeal, Harper will be able to play in the series finale versus Oakland on June 4. The 24-year-old was drilled by Strickland in the eighth inning, inciting a benches-clearing brawl. Harper and Strickland both threw punches at one another. The Giants pitcher also filed an appeal, but is awaiting a response and for now will start a six-game suspension Wednesday night.
For Harper, the suspension comes in the midst of a stellar season. Leading the National League in All-Star voting, the slugger has belted 15 home runs and also has 41 RBI’s so far in 2017. He leads the league in long balls as well as runs scored (44), and is hitting .322/.433/.644 on the season.
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The fight drew national attention during the ESPN game on Monday, and also draws comparison to the brawl between Jose Bautista and Rougned Odor on May 15, 2016. Harper will sit out Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday’s game for his role.
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