Nationals' Jorge López Suspended For Throwing at Andrew McCutchen, Inciting Brawl

While Washington Nationals reliever Jorge López is appealing his three-game suspension for "intentionally" throwing at Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, manager Davey Martinez will sit out Thursday's finale.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jorge Lopez (21) is restrained by catcher Keibert Ruiz (20) as Lopez has words with Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Andrew McCutchen (not pictured) during the seventh inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

MLB has suspended Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jorge López three games for throwing at Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen on Wednesday.

The league determined that López intentionally threw at McCutchen with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, brushing him back with a 92 mile-per-hour sinker up toward his head. As the umpires huddled up to discuss how to approach the situation in real time, López and McCutchen exchanged words and the benches cleared.

No punches were thrown, but Oneil Cruz had to hold back both McCutchen and Tommy Pham. López was ultimately ejected from the contest.

Pirates and Nationals clear the benches after Jorge Lopez throws a pitch near Andrew McCutchen's head. Lopez was ejected. Oneil Cruz had to hold back Tommy Pham pic.twitter.com/ZOZxmkxTLi

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 17, 2025

Cruz hit a grand slam one batter later, powering Pittsburgh to a 6-1 victory.

López is appealing his suspension and will remain eligible to pitch until his hearing with the league. Manager Davey Martinez, on the other hand, earned a one-game suspension for his role in the scuffle and is not allowed to appeal. Bench coach Miguel Cairo will take over as Washington's manager in Martinez's absence.

Reliever Jorge Lopez has been suspended 3 games for "intentionally throwing at Andrew McCutchen." He's appealing the suspension.

Manager Dave Martinez has been suspended for a game. He'll serve that suspension today. Bench coach Miguel Cairo will manage the game.

— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) April 17, 2025

Through eight appearances this season, López has a 10.57 ERA, 1.696 WHIP, 5.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.4 WAR. The 32-year-old is fresh off a productive season with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, during which he went 2-3 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.226 WHIP, 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.9 WAR across 52 games.

The Nationals need a win Thursday to avoid dropping the four-game series to the Pirates. First pitch for the finale is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET.

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