Pirates Reliever Ejected After Umpires Say Pitch Was Intentionally Thrown Near Reds Rookie Sal Stewart

A lopsided Major League Baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds took an unusual turn Saturday night when Pirates reliever Chris Devenski was ejected after umpires ruled that he intentionally threw a pitch near Reds rookie Sal Stewart.

The incident came in the seventh inning of Pittsburgh’s 17-7 win over Cincinnati at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Stewart, a young Reds infielder, moved out of the way as the pitch came inside, losing his helmet in the process. The moment briefly created tension between Stewart and Pirates catcher Henry Davis before home plate umpire Willie Traynor stepped in.

After the four-man umpiring crew met, Devenski was removed from the game.

Umpires Said the Pitch Appeared Intentional

Crew chief Alan Porter, who was working first base, said after the game that the umpires believed the sequence leading up to the pitch justified the ejection.

According to Porter’s explanation to a pool reporter, Devenski had stepped off the pitching rubber, while Stewart stepped out of the batter’s box with time still remaining. Porter said that after Stewart stepped out, Devenski returned and delivered the pitch, which the crew believed was thrown intentionally toward the batter.

That judgment led to Devenski’s ejection.

Because intent is difficult to prove from the field, such calls often depend on the umpiring crew’s interpretation of timing, body language, game situation, and prior events. In this case, the umpires concluded that the pitch was not simply an ordinary inside offering.

Stewart Says He Did Not Know Why It Happened

Stewart said afterward that he was unsure what prompted the pitch.

According to the source material, Stewart said he noticed there were 17 seconds remaining on the pitch clock, waited briefly, and called time. He said the next pitch then moved toward his ribs. Stewart added that no one had said anything to him before the incident and that he was glad the umpires addressed it.

The pitch clock, introduced in MLB to speed up play, requires pitchers and hitters to follow strict timing rules between pitches. The source material indicates that Stewart and the umpire had already discussed pitch-timer procedure earlier in the game, including when and how Stewart should call time after engaging with the pitcher.

Devenski Denied Trying to Hit Stewart

Devenski told reporters after the game that he did not intend to hit Stewart. According to the report, the Pirates reliever said he was only trying to pitch him tight, especially with Pittsburgh already holding a large lead.

At the time of the incident, the Pirates were ahead 15-6. The final score was 17-7.

The umpiring crew, however, viewed the pitch differently. Porter said the crew believed Devenski acted intentionally, which is why he was ejected.

Reds Manager Terry Francona Did Not See Broader Bad Blood

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said after the game that he did not sense any larger hostility between Stewart and Devenski, or between the Reds and Pirates more broadly.

Francona said Stewart appeared to believe the pitcher did not like that he had called timeout. The manager also said he had been discussing Cincinnati’s pitching plans at the time and did not see the full sequence clearly. Still, Francona said he thought the umpires handled the situation appropriately.

A Strange Moment in a One-Sided Game

The ejection stood out partly because of the score. Pittsburgh was already in firm control, and the incident did not appear to follow any clearly established dispute between the teams based on the source material.

For international readers less familiar with baseball, pitchers sometimes throw inside to move hitters away from the plate, but intentionally throwing at a batter is treated seriously and can result in ejection. Umpires are responsible for deciding whether a pitch was part of normal competition or crossed the line into intentional targeting.

In this case, Stewart said he was confused by the moment, Devenski denied intent to hit him, and the umpires said their judgment was clear enough to act.

The result was an unusual flashpoint in a game otherwise defined by Pittsburgh’s dominant offensive performance.