Washington Nationals reliever Jorge Lopez has been suspended by Major League Baseball for 3 games for intentionally throwing at Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen on Wednesday.
Lopez’s group has already announced that they plan to appeal the suspension, meaning he remains eligible to play until the appeal process plays out. MLB has also suspended Nationals manager Dave Martinez for one game as well following his team’s 6-1 loss.
For his part, Lopez insists he wasn’t intentionally trying to throw at McCutchen when speaking to reporters after the game. “I apologize for everything,” Lopez said. “I didn’t make any purpose pitch right there. I’ve been trying to find my way with my delivery, been trying to find my way through the whole season. It’s really miserable to have that happen. I regret what just happened.”
After both benches cleared, Oneil Cruz would go on to hit a game sealing grand slam later that inning to earn Pittsburgh a much needed win. The Pirates currently sit last in the NL Central with an 8-12 record on the year.
The team has played well at home, sporting a 6-4 mark at PNC Park, but have only been able to must 2 wins on the road thus far. Up next for the Pirates is a 3 game series vs. the Cleveland Guardians, before they hit the road for a 6 game west coast swing where they’ll take on the Angels and Dodgers respectively.
Photo: Blackngold29. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.