Jonathan Papelbon banned 7 games

— -- Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon has been suspended seven games and fined an undisclosed amount by MLB for making a lewd gesture to fans and getting ejected during Philadelphia's 5-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Papelbon will begin serving the suspension immediately, meaning he'll be eligible to pitch again Tuesday, Sept. 23.

"The Phillies fully support the decision of the Commissioner's Office, which has exclusive jurisdiction for on-field player behavior," the Phillies said in a statement Monday. "By Major League Baseball rules, the Phillies have no authority to make official judgments about activity which occurs on the field or to determine the appropriate penalty for misconduct. We apologize to our fans for the actions of our player yesterday."

Papelbon grabbed his crotch as he walked to the dugout and was ejected by crew chief Joe West. He jogged out of the dugout and got into a face-to-face argument with West, who grasped the pitcher's jersey to hold him off, and Papelbon then argued with first base umpire Marty Foster. Papelbon threw a cup of liquid on the field before leaving the dugout.

"I told him 'You've got to go,' " West said. "And then he charged out of the dugout and his head bumped into my hat. And I grabbed him and I said, 'Get off of me.'

"The whole thing started because the fans booed him and he made an obscene gesture. He had no business doing that. He's got to be more professional than that. And that's why he was ejected.''

Papelbon denied gesturing lewdly toward fans and said boos had no impact on him.

"This is baseball," Papelbon said. "I had to make an adjustment and I did it and by no means am I directing anything at any fans. ... When I'm out there and in the moment, the fans are irrelevant to me. I don't see them. I don't hear them. To me, this is pretty stupid, to be totally honest with you.

"They pay money, they want to see a good game and they have the right to boo and do whatever they want to do, but when an umpire gets caught up in that and starts trying to look for extra things he may think are going on -- just umpire the game.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.