López Suspended After Benches Clear in Pirates Win

Washington Nationals reliever Jorge López was suspended for three games by MLB for intentionally throwing at Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen in the seventh inning of a 6-1 Pirates win, an incident that triggered benches to clear. Nationals manager Dave Martinez received a one-game suspension for the incident, while López appealed his suspension and remains eligible to pitch until the appeal is resolved. The pitch to McCutchen came after López had hit Bryan Reynolds, adding to existing tensions from the previous day when Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller hit Nationals' Paul DeJong in the face. Both López and McCutchen have a contentious history from past games. López denied intent and apologized, attributing the pitch to struggles with his delivery. The Pirates capitalized on the situation with Oneil Cruz hitting a grand slam in the same inning, securing their win in a challenging season for both teams.