Pirates' Andrew McCutchen Defends Pitcher Who Threw At Him
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter/outfielder Andrew McCutchen shutdown an accusation of a pitcher intentionally throwing at him in a recent contest.
Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Jorge Lopez faced McCutchen in the bottom of the seventh inning on April 16.
Lopez, on a 1-1 count, threw a pitch that rose up and in, forcing McCutchen to dive to the ground to avoid the ball hitting his face.
While the umpire crew decided on a warning or an ejection for Lopez, McCutchen and Lopez both shouted words at each other, which saw both benches clear.
Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz held back McCutchen and then had to hold back left fielder Tommy Pham, both of who didn't care for that pitch from Lopez.
This was also the following at-bat after Lopez hit Pirates designated hitter Bryan Reynolds.
The umpire crew then ejected Lopez following this and the Nationals brought in right-handed pitcher Eduardo Salazar.
Salazar walked McCutchen on the next two pitches and then Cruz hit a grandslam on the next at-bat, putting the Pirates up 6-0, helping them secure the eventual win.
The MLB suspended Lopez for three games for throwing at McCutchen and Nationals manager Dave Martinez for one game, which was the series finale.
McCutchen and Lopez had prior history, with McCutchen hitting a solo shot off Lopez when he was pitching for the Chicago Cubs.
Reynolds would also hit a three-run home run off Lopez in that same inning, igniting a comeback in the eighth inning for a 5-3 victory at Wrigley Field on Sept. 2, 2024.
This was almost the second straight game that featured a dangerous hit by pitch, as Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller hit Nationals third baseman Paul DeJong in the face, which took DeJong out of the game.
McCutchen said after the game that he didn't think Lopez tried to hit him, but that the situation that occurred caused tempers to flare.
“I don’t think it matters if it was or if it wasn’t," McCutchen said. "It’s just the fact of the nature of the situation. I never try to say, I can’t speak for the other person, but, yeah so just the nature of the situation. Take it as it is. Even if wasn’t on purpose, which I don’t really think it was, I think it was the height of the moment got to him maybe. It got away from him, similar to Mitch [Keller], but praise God for quick reflexes.”
Jomboy Media released an almost 10 minute video on the incident, where they claimed that McCutchen knew that Lopez threw at him intentionally, referencing Keller hitting DeJong.
McCutchen took to Twitter and replied under the video, saying again, that Lopez didn't throw at him on purpose.
It wasn’t on purpose
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) April 21, 2025
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.