What happened to Andrew McCutchen during Pirates vs. Nationals game? All you need to know about the alarming incident
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals game took an alarming turn after Jorge Lopez’s pitch nearly injured Andrew McCutchen in the head. The ball went straight to his helmet, with McCutchen falling on the field to avoid getting hit by the 92 mph ball.
The incident immediately called for attention as both the Pirates and the Nationals cleared their benches in retaliation. Following a short discussion about the play, on-field umpires ejected Lopez immediately.
Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz was seen holding back Tommy Pham from jumping into the chaos. Prior to McCutchen’s incident, Bryan Reynolds got hit by a pitch by Jorge Lopez.
The incident with Reynolds took place in the seventh inning. Whether the play against Andrew McCutchen was intentional or not is still in question. The Nationals manager, David Martinez, is yet to comment on the incident.
During the incident, the sports commentators questioned if it was related to last year’s solo home run by McCutchen against Lopez. The pitcher was part of the Chicago Cubs then. During a game against Pittsburgh in September, the Pirates won 5-3 vs. the Cubs, with McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds leading the victory.
Pittsburgh Pirates win 6-1 vs. Washington Nationals despite Andrew McCutchen-Jorge Lopez incident
![Andrew McCutchen [Source: Imagn]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/a13cb-17448554347565-1920.jpg?w=500)
Wednesday’s game just got intense with two Pittsburgh Pirates players getting nearly injured during their faceoff against the Washington Nationals. Despite the tense situations, the Pirates celebrated the game with a 6-1 win.
Most of it was credited to Oneil Cruz, who blasted off a grand slam in the seventh inning to put the team at a 6-0 advantage. The Andrew McCutchen and Jorge Lopez incident unfolded without heavy consequences other than an ejection.
With the series finale left on Thursday, the tension between the teams will be high. While injuries are part of the game, head injuries, especially from a pitch, are always dangerous. The baseball community will be keeping an eye on how the finale will conclude.