Nats pitcher Jorge López suspended 3 games for throwing at Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen’s head

Washington Nationals pitcher Jorge López has been suspended three games and fined for throwing at Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.

López was ejected from Wednesday night’s game against the Pirates after a high pitch near McCutchen’s head led to the benches briefly clearing in the seventh inning.

López hit the previous batter, Bryan Reynolds, with a pitch before facing McCutchen, who had to fall to the ground to avoid getting hit by a 92 mph ball near his head.

The right-hander has filed an appeal of the suspension, which was set to begin Thursday but will not take effect until that process is done.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez received a fine and one-game suspension because of the incident.

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen, left, is retrained by Oneil Cruz as benches cleared after Washington Nationals pitcher Jorge López nearly hit McCutchen with a high inside pitch during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

As the umpires gathered to discuss what happened during Wednesday’s game, McCutchen and López started arguing, which caused both benches to empty. Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham was also seen yelling while being held back by teammate Oneil Cruz.

Washington (7-11) concludes its four-game series at Pittsburgh (7-12) Thursday afternoon.

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen (22) gets out of the way of a high and inside pitch from Washington Nationals pitcher Jorge López during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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