That’s what witnesses said happened early Friday when a number of them called 911 to report there was a large man — Myers is 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds — dragging a woman by the hair and hitting her in the face.

“I watched him just haul off and smack her in the face,” witness Sly Egidio told the Boston Globe. “This was violent. This was wrong.”

Boston police found a sobbing Kim Myers sitting on a sidewalk, the left side of her face swollen. Myers told officers her husband — the Phillies’ press guide says he was an amateur boxer up to the age of 13 — hit her twice in the face with his fist.

Myers didn’t seem to think it was a big deal at first. Baseball players are used to having everything taken care of for them, and he probably thought someone would take care of this, too.

He went ahead with his regular start, and it wasn’t until Tuesday that he issued a statement acknowledging that his conduct was “inappropriate.” At the same time, he said he was sorry for any embarrassment he caused anyone.

It was, no doubt, embarrassing for Kim Myers. It also had to be embarrassing to have to bail out your husband after he allegedly hit you, and even more embarrassing to walk around with a bruised and swollen face.

If it’s any consolation, she’s not alone. Advocates for battered women say one in every three or four women will be the victim of domestic violence at some time in their lives, and that those doing the battering tend to do it again and again.

“It doesn’t end unless the person perpetrating the crime gets help and is held accountable,” said Esta Soler, president and founder of the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

The Phillies certainly weren’t going to do that.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Pain on the skating rink, flying high on the hardwood, upsets on the football field, and more. more photos

This seems to be the norm lately for baseball teams. Dmitri Young is now working out and getting ready to rejoin the Detroit Tigers after pleading no contest to a domestic violence charge. He allegedly choked a 21-year-old woman in a suburban Detroit hotel two months ago.

Throw at a batter or charge the mound, and you’ll get suspended. Slug your wife or choke a woman and, hey, we’ll let the courts deal with it.

“We need to get the message out there that we’re not going to tolerate this kind of behavior,” Soler said. “We don’t want our kids to see it and we don’t want our role models to participate in it.”

Hopefully, Myers will take advantage of his self-imposed leave of absence, get some help and stop hiding behind words like “inappropriate behavior.” Hopefully, the Phillies — who placed Myers on the temporary inactive list Wednesday and optioned him to Class-A Clearwater to open a roster spot — will send a message to his teammates that there can be consequences outside the courtroom for such actions.

Meanwhile, Myers and the Phillies have plenty to be sorry about.

MORE FROM BASEBALL

Baseball Section Front

Mauer vs. Bronx bullies for AL MVP   CTB: Did A-Rod throw cousin under financial bus?   CTB: Red Sox willing to throw money into Lowell deal DeMarco: Red Sox should take measured approach CTB: Handicapping the Halladay chase Blyleven: Pitching to be had beyond Halladay CTB: Should the Yankees get younger? CTB: Mets may play some games in Puerto Rico CTB: White Sox offer Vizquel $1 million CTB: A prediction — Lackey will sign with Yankees Baseball Section Front   Add Baseball headlines to your news reader: