WASHINGTON -- Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan has been given a seven-game suspension for deliberately throwing a baseball into the stands and hitting a fan during a game last weekend.

Morgan has appealed the penalty that Major League Baseball imposed Wednesday. He will be able to play until the appeal process is complete.

Morgan also was fined an undisclosed amount. The incident occurred in the middle of the ninth inning last Saturday in Washington's win at Philadelphia.

Morgan briefly spoke with reporters after the Nationals' 4-0 loss to Chicago Wednesday, but he said he couldn't talk about the specifics of the incident. He did say he hadn't been expecting a suspension.

"I've just got to wait for my appeals process," Morgan said. "This is brand-new news to me."

Washington manager Jim Riggleman said he didn't know what had led to the disciplinary action.

"Today was the first I heard about it," Riggleman said. "Right before game time it was brought to my attention there was an issue there."

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