Don’t throw at Andrew McCutchen’s head.
Intentional or not, it’s not wise to get anywhere near the noggin of one of the best Pirates ever.
But on Wednesday night, Nationals’ righty Jorge Lopez went up and in on McCutchen and knocked him down.
It took a little while, but the benches eventually cleared.
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
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Pirates veteran Tommy Pham seemed to be the most fired up in the interests of defending McCutchen.
Superstar Oneil Cruz had to hold Pham back.
It’s very unlikely Lopez was intentionally throwing at McCutchen, but he was ejected anyway.
The Pirates already had two runners on and a 2-0 lead in an early-season game. McCutchen eventually ended his at bat with a walk.
Cruz gave Pittsburgh the last laugh. He crushed a grand slam to finish seven innings with a 6-0 lead.
Regardless of what happened before or after, when such a legend of the game gets something near his head, it can spark disputes.
Nothing too crazy happened this time, but it’s worth keeping an eye on Thursday when these teams meet for the series finale.
If there’s another pitch up and in, it could spark more fireworks.
It’ll also be interesting to see if MLB offers any more discipline after the fact, or if Lopez’s suspension on the night is all that comes to pass from this dispute.
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