On April 16, 2025, PNC Park lit up with drama as a benches-clearing clash unfolded between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals. Nationals reliever Jorge López unleashed a 92 MPH sinker that sailed dangerously close to Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen’s head, sending the 2013 NL MVP sprawling to avoid it. The close call triggered a heated moment, with both teams’ benches charging onto the field in a brief but tense showdown.
Cutch gets a pitch high and inside after Reynolds was hit the prior at-bat prior. The Pirates took some disagreement to what took place. The benches emptied but nothing really happened. Jorge Lopez was ejected. pic.twitter.com/rb1XotXTJo
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) April 17, 2025
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The drama unfolded during a 6-1 Pirates win, coming right after López had already plunked Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, which added to the tension. The Umpires declared that the pitch from López to McCutchen was intentional, leading to his ejection from the game. Eduardo Salazar took the mound after that, then proceeded to walk McCutchen before giving up a towering grand slam to Oneil Cruz, ending the Nationals’ hopes of coming back.
After the game, López expressed remorse.
“I apologize for everything,” López told MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato after the game. “I didn’t mean to throw at him. I’ve been struggling with my delivery all season, trying to find my rhythm. It’s awful that this happened—I regret it deeply.”
This MLB benches-clearing moment did not come out of the blue. Just a day prior, Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller drilled Nationals’ third baseman Paul DeJong in the face, leaving him with a broken nose. There is actually beef here—López even has history with Reynolds and McCutchen, who both went deep off him last September when he pitched for the Cubs.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton was livid, as he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles.
“That pitch was way too close to Cutch’s head. Bryan got hit two pitches earlier, and then we go above his head? I’m not okay with that.”
McCutchen, not certain if the move was intentional, was able to find a positive out of the situation.
“Sometimes you’ve got to force team bonding, especially early in the season. We’re still figuring out our identity—why we score 10 one day and can’t buy a run the next. Moments like this can bring a team together. It’s a solid win for us—hopefully the spark we need.”
Both teams are off to shaky starts, with the Pirates at 7-12 and the Nationals at 7-11. This clash could either jolt them awake or reveal deeper frustrations bubbling up in these struggling squads. McCutchen hit the nail on the head about the Pirates’ up-and-down play, while the Nationals are grappling with injuries to key players like Paul DeJong and a lineup that’s gone cold.
If either team dreams of playing in October, they’ve got to turn this passion into victories, not brawls. Fans are all over this: will the PNC Park scuffle ignite a fire under them—or just stir up more bad blood?
