CHICAGO – Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee dropped his appeal and began serving a five-game suspension Wednesday for his role in a brawl with the San Diego Padres on June 16.

The melee began after Lee was hit by a pitch from San Diego’s Chris Young. Lee, convinced that Young was throwing at him, had words with the pitcher as he walked to first base, then threw a punch. Young swung back and the benches emptied.

Young already has served his five-game suspension.

Lee started serving the suspension, in part, because he has a sore left ankle after fouling a pitch off it Tuesday night.

“I’m going to be limping for two days,” he said. Besides Wednesday’s game against the Giants, Lee also will miss Thursday’s series finale against San Francisco and then a three-game series at Wrigley Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend.

Lee is batting .337 with eight homers and 48 RBIs. He has two homers in his last three games after going 126 at-bats without one.