Pittsburgh send Taiwans Cheng back to minors

• Staff writer, with CNA

Taiwan’s Cheng Tsung-che this week finished his first stint in the MLB, playing three games over 10 days for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Bucs on Wednesday announced in a post on social media that they had optioned the No. 17 prospect back to Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate the Indianapolis Indians after reinstating infielder Jared Triolo.

Triolo had been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lumbar spine strain.

Cheng was called up on Monday last week to bolster the team’s injury-plagued infield, becoming the 18th Taiwanese player to appear in an MLB game, and the third to play for the Pirates, following Wang Wei-chung in 2019 and Yu Chang in 2022.

Twenty-three-year-old Cheng made his debut on Wednesday last week and went hitless in seven at-bats over three games, starting in two and playing one full game.

During his time on the roster, the Pirates were 4-5, and currently sit at the bottom of the National League Central Division with a 7-12 record, trailing division leaders the Chicago Cubs by four games.

In Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, Washington Nationals pitcher Jorge Lopez was ejected after a pitch near Andrew McCutchen’s head led to the benches briefly clearing.

In the seventh inning, Lopez hit the previous batter Bryan Reynolds with a pitch before facing McCutchen, who had to drop to the ground to avoid getting hit by a 92mph (148kph) ball near his head.

As the umpires gathered to discuss the incident, McCutchen and Lopez started arguing, which led to both benches emptying. 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.

In Minnesota, veteran umpire Hunter Wendelstedt went to a hospital for further examination after he was struck in the face behind first base by a line drive foul ball.

Crew chief Todd Tichenor, who called home plate during the 4-3 victory by the Minnesota Twins over the New York Mets, told a pool reporter after the game that Wendelstedt was coherent and speaking, but going through a concussion protocol.

“Hopefully it’s just some stitches is what I’m thinking,” Tichenor said.

Wendelstedt instantly hit the ground after he took a direct hit from the line smash off the bat of Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor in the seventh inning.

Taylor and Twins right-hander Louis Varland winced immediately after seeing where the ball hit Wendelstedt, who is in his 28th major league season as an umpire.

“This one was just 100mph off the bat. We’re taught to go opposite the ball. He just went into the ball. It happens. We all do it,” Tichenor said. “It just doesn’t hit him in the head usually.”

Elsewhere, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman homered in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ seven-run first inning. They held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-7.

The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1, the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-1, the St Louis Cardinals took down the Houston Astros 4-1, the San Diego Padres outplayed the Chicago Cubs 4-2, the Baltimore Orioles overpowered the Cleveland Guardians 9-1 and the Arizona Diamondbacks stopped the Miami Marlins 6-2.

The Seattle Mariners beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3, the New York Yankees pipped the Kansas City Royals 4-3, the San Francisco Giants dominated the Philadelphia Phillies 11-4, the Boston Red Sox blanked the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0, the Athletics survived the Chicago White Sox 3-1 and the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 3-1.

Additional reporting by AP