Hamels suspended for 5 games

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels was suspended five games and fined by Major League Baseball for hitting Washington Nationals batter Bryce Harper with a pitch. Hamels admitted he threw on purpose at rookie Harper, striking him in the back with a pitch in the first inning of the Phillies 9-3 win on Sunday. "They're probably not gonna like me for it, but I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't trying to do it," Hamels said after the game. "I think they understood the message." Harper stole home plate later in the first inning Sunday for Washington's first run of the contest. All-star pitcher Hamels wasn't available for comment before the Phillies game against the New York Mets on Monday, the day he began serving his suspension.