Nats Pitcher Jorge López Ejected After Near-Miss Pitch Sparks Benches Clearing

It was an intense night at the ballpark as tensions flared in a fiery encounter between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Nationals pitcher Jorge López was ejected in the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s game following a near-miss pitch that almost struck Andrew McCutchen in the head. Just moments before, López had already hit batter Bryan Reynolds with a pitch, setting a volatile stage for what followed.

Facing McCutchen next, López delivered a 92 mph fastball that sent the veteran batter diving to the ground to avoid a potentially dangerous hit. The tension on the field was palpable, and the umpires didn’t waste time in discussing the incident.

Words exchanged between McCutchen and López quickly escalated, prompting both teams' benches to erupt onto the field. Among those visibly agitated was Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham, who was seen heatedly gesturing while being restrained by teammate Oneil Cruz.

Despite the chaos, the Pirates found a silver lining later in the inning. Oneil Cruz turned the tension into triumph as he launched a stunning grand slam off Nationals reliever Eduardo Salazar, solidifying the Pirates’ commanding 6-0 lead.

Pittsburgh ultimately cruised to a 6-1 victory, leveraging the game’s turmoil to fuel their momentum. While the dust settled from the bench-clearing event, the game itself was a reminder of baseball’s unpredictable blend of emotion and skill.