Cleanup hitter Bryce Harper and manager Matt Williams were both ejected in the third inning Wednesday night, but the Washington Nationals came back to beat the New York Yankees 3-2 on Denard Span's tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh.
Harper, the NL Player of the Week twice in a row, entered with 10 homers in his previous 12 games.
In his second at-bat Wednesday, he got into an argument with plate umpire Marvin Hudson after a first-pitch strike call and was tossed. Williams then came out of the dugout to move Harper out of the way and get in Hudson's face, leading to the second ejection.
After getting kicked out, Williams went over and kicked dirt on home plate — with one swipe by each foot.
Span drove in an unearned, go-ahead run with a bases-loaded single off reliever Justin Wilson.
Jordan Zimmermann (4-2) earned the win, allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings.
Lefty Matt Grace threw a scoreless eighth, working around two walks by getting Chase Headley to ground out to end the inning. Drew Storen got his 12th save in 13 chances, striking loudly booed pinch hitter Alex Rodriguez on three pitches with a man on to end it.
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Yankees starter Adam Warren (2-3) went 6 1-3 innings, giving up three runs — two earned — and four hits.
New York led 2-0 after an RBI double by Carlos Beltran and sac fly by Brian McCann in the top of the first.
In the bottom half, Ian Desmond homered in the first inning for the second game in a row, driving the ball to the deepest part of the ballpark to make it 2-1. Tyler Moore's solo shot to left in the fourth tied the game.
With the score still 2-all in the seventh, the Nationals loaded the bases with one out thanks to an error by third baseman Headley and a pair of walks. That prompted Yankees manager Joe Girardi to remove Warren and bring in lefty Wilson to face left-handed batter Span.
Ahead in the count, Span bounced a hit past diving shortstop Didi Gregorius to put Washington ahead.
Harper also was ejected a week earlier, against Arizona, and the Nationals won that game, too.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: CF Jacoby Ellsbury was wearing a black brace on his sprained right knee and said he has not been told how long he might be sidelined — and doesn't expect to know a prognosis until seeing a team doctor on Friday. Ellsbury was put on the 15-day DL, a day after wrenching his knee when his cleat got stuck on a swing. "It's not something that requires surgery," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, adding: "This is not doom and gloom." ... The player who took Ellsbury's roster spot, Slade Heathcott, made his major league debut in the top of the eighth, pinch-running for Mark Teixeira, then took over center field in the bottom half.
Nationals: INF Anthony Rendon, who is on the DL, took some grounders at 2B and 3B and "did some light swinging in the cage" at Nationals Park before the game, Williams said. Rendon is recovering from a left side muscle injury and hasn't appeared in the majors all season. "The objective is to make sure he's fully ready to go — no pain, no issues," Williams said.
UP NEXT
Yankees: After Thursday's day off, they'll open a three-game series at home against the Texas Rangers, with RHP Michael Pineda (5-1, 3.31 ERA) facing RHP Colby Lewis (3-2, 3.06). Pineda is coming off his first loss of the season, allowing five earned runs in 5 1-3 innings against Kansas City, and is 0-2 in three career starts against Texas.
Nationals: After their second day off this week, Washington hosts Philadelphia, and in Friday's series opener, RHP Max Scherzer (4-3, 1.75 ERA) pitches against RHP Sean O'Sullivan (1-2, 3.68) for the third time already in 2015. Scherzer earned the win in each of the first two matchups, compiling 17 strikeouts, two walks and a 1.29 ERA.
