Former Mets Pitcher Yoan Lopez Faces Year-Long Suspension
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A former pitcher for the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks was ejected from a Mexican League game Tuesday, and took out his frustration on two umpires.
The violent outburst resulted in a suspension that will sideline Lopez for the remainder of the 2025 season and all of 2026, as well, according to multiple reports Wednesday.
Former Dbacks and Mets reliever Yoan López has been suspended until 2027 from the Mexican Baseball League after hitting two umpires during last night's playoff game in Mexico while protesting a foul-tip call. https://t.co/qynSBFzh7i — Marcos Grunfeld 🇮🇱 (@TheBeatwriter) August 13, 2025
Lopez, 32, pitched for the Arizona Diamobndbacks (2018-21) and New York Mets (2022) across parts of five major league seasons. The right-hander was 2-3 with a 4.89 ERA in 45 games in the independent Mexican League this season.
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A video of the incident posted to Twitter/X by Beisbol Puro shows Lopez, pitching for the Unión Laguna Algodoneros against the Tijuana Toros in a postseason game, being ejected in the ninth inning of a 2-2 game.
Yoan Lopez #44 of the New York Mets pitches in the ninth inning during game two of a doubleheader between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 16, 2022...
Yoan Lopez #44 of the New York Mets pitches in the ninth inning during game two of a doubleheader between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 16, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. More
Chase Agnello-Dean/Getty Images
The right-hander then kicks the leg of the umpire who ejected him before being separated by teammates. After shouting at the umpire on the field, Lopez eventually returns to his own dugout — then runs back on the field, shouting some more. Along the way he appears to make contact with home plate umpire Ulises Dominguez.
The Toros scored two runs in the ninth inning, both charged to Lopez, en route to a 4-3 victory. Laguna leads the series, two games to one.
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The suspension is a dramatic setback in the career of Lopez, a Cuban native who signed with the Diamondbacks in January 2015.
In his only season with the Mets, Lopez appeared in eight major league games and another 29 with Triple-A Syracuse.
In 2023, Lopez spent the entire season with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He went 0-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 22 games in his only season in Japan.
The Mexican League postseason is a haven for former major league players. Besides Lopez — who notched the save for Union Laguna on Monday — several ex-big leaguers are taking part in the series.
Jack Mayfield, Rangel Ravelo, Tomas Telis, Silvio Bracho, Daniel Zamora, Roel Ramirez, Jose Hernandez, Ralph Garza, Diego Castillo, Jose Alvarez, Hernan Perez, Junior Lake, Ali Solis, and Franchy Cordero were in uniform Tuesday for Tijuana.
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The Union Laguna roster, managed by ex-major leaguer Jose Molina, features Fernando Abad, Travis Lakins Sr., Taylor Williams, Jonathan Schoop, Jonathan Villar, Didi Gregorius, Mark Payton and Brian O'Grady.
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