Benches clear during Pirates-Nationals game after pitch narrowly misses Andrew McCutchen's head
Pittsburgh Pirates veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen was nearly hit in the head with a pitch during Wednesday night's game against the Washington Nationals, leading to the benches clearing during the game.
Nationals pitcher Jorge López was ejected from the game after the benches cleared. He's been suspended for three games and has filed an appeal.
In the previous at bat, López hit Bryan Reynolds with a pitch.
As the umpires gathered to discuss the incident, McCutchen and López started arguing, which caused both benches to empty.
Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham was also seen yelling while being held back by teammate Oneil Cruz.
Cruz hit a grand slam later in the inning off Eduardo Salazar to give the Pirates a 6-0 lead. Pittsburgh won 6-1.
Bailey Falter allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings. It was the 10th time this season that a Pirates starter went six innings or more — tops in the majors.
The final contest of the four-game series between the Pirates and Nationals will take place Thursday at PNC Park.
Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams and Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney will be on the mound for their respective teams.
First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m.
