Bryce Harper played his first seven seasons with the Nationals, leaving Washington in the offseason to sign a 10-year, $330 million megadeal with division rival Philadelphia.
And while the Phillies fell short of the postseason and the Nationals are heading to the World Series, the outfielder said he isn't second-guessing his decision to go elsewhere and isn't jealous.
"No. I'm so happy for them," Harper told The Athletic. "You know how hard it is to get into the postseason and win games. For them to be able to put it together this year the way they have, it's an amazing thing."
Harper, 27, played in four National League Division Series with the Nationals, but they never were able to advance to the NL Championship Series. He rejected an offer from the Nationals, who used the saved money to add pitchers Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez, then bolstered the bullpen at the trade deadline.
"It was kind of the perfect storm for them," Harper said. "... Not signing me, they were able to go out and get the starting pitching that they needed and the pitching that they needed for their bullpen."
The New York Yankees dropped an injured CC Sabathia from the American League Championship Series roster, likely ending the veteran pitcher's career.
Pitching in relief Thursday night in Game 4 of the ALCS, Sabathia "suffered a subluxation of his left shoulder joint," the team said in a statement. A subluxation is a partial dislocation, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Right-handed reliever Ben Heller replaced Sabathia on the roster. On the season, the 28-year-old pitched 7 2/3 innings over six games, recording a 1.23 ERA with nine strikeouts.
Giancarlo Stanton was back in the lineup for the Yankees, who were facing elimination in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
Stanton, who played in the opening game of the ALCS before missing three games in a row with a quadriceps strain, batted fourth and served as designated hitter, replacing Edwin Encarnacion in the lineup. DJ LeMahieu played first base and batted leadoff.
Stanton attempted to play Thursday but manager Aaron Boone wasn't comfortable playing him after a pregame workout.
Atlanta Braves All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow and should be ready for spring training, the team announced.
The procedure was performed in New York on Wednesday by Dr. David Altchek. The surgeon "cleaned out the entire right elbow joint during the procedure, removing three fragmented loose bodies and cleaning up multiple bone spur formations that had developed," the team said in a statement.
Freeman, 30, hit .295 with a career-high 38 home runs and 121 RBIs in 158 regular-season games. In five postseason games, he was 4 of 20 with a home run, one RBI and six strikeouts.
--Field Level Media