Andrew McCutchen is out for the season. That’s devastating for the Phillies.

By Dave Sheinin
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/06/05/andrew-mccutchen-is-out-season-thats-devastating-phillies/?utm_term=.80f659b1cd98
June 4, 2019

(AP)

When the Philadelphia Phillies, at the outset of their wild winter of big spending and big trades, lavished $50 million across three years on outfielder Andrew McCutchen, many in the industry viewed it as a strange overpay — a stance confirmed when most of the remaining 30-something hitters on the market struggled to land deals.

The Phillies, though, saw McCutchen, the 2013 National League MVP, as a critical piece to their championship hopes — a leadoff hitter, left fielder and popular clubhouse figure who, above all, showed up to work every day. Even as his production dipped from his mid-20s peak, he was among the game’s most durable hitters, averaging 155 games per season beginning in 2010.

To understand why the loss of McCutchen for the rest of the 2019 season was so devastating for the Phillies on Tuesday — after an MRI confirmed a torn ACL in his left knee, suffered while trying to avoid a rundown the day before in San Diego — start with that everyday presence: While the Phillies, for a first-place team, already had plenty of problems, from the bullpen’s inconsistency to the rotation’s lack of depth to Bryce Harper’s strikeout issues, the one thing they never had to worry about was McCutchen.

Tuesday’s news came as the Phillies (33-27) were carrying a five-game losing streak into a game at San Diego, with their lead in the NL East, which stood at 3½ games less than a week ago, down to a half-game over the Atlanta Braves.

“It’s a sucky dynamic,” McCutchen told reporters Tuesday. “It’s not the news I wanted to hear.”

Reinforcements were already on the way, with rookie outfielder Adam Haseley, their 2017 first-round pick, called up from Class AAA on Tuesday, and recently acquired veteran Jay Bruce making his Phillies debut Monday. They will man center and left field, respectively. But the Phillies were already thin in the outfield, with regular center fielder Odubel Herrera on the restricted list following a domestic violence incident; McCutchen had been shifted from left to center to cover for him.

Throw in Harper’s well-chronicled struggles at the plate, and the Phillies’ outfield now looks like an unqualified mess — and Haseley and Bruce probably aren’t the full-time answers. The former has just 27 plate appearances above Class AA; the latter was supposed to have been a platoon/bench bat. For now, both will be pressed into more or less everyday duty.

“This is something every club goes through,” Manager Gabe Kapler said Monday, before the Phillies knew for certain they had lost McCutchen for the season. “Every club goes through tough times. They go through tough stretches. They have injury concerns. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We just have to come back fighting and prepare like we always do.”

But the Phillies have already invested too much in this season — their offseason splurge netting them not only McCutchen but also Harper and reliever David Robertson via free agency, and shortstop Jean Segura and catcher J.T. Realmuto in trades — to stand pat. And with still some eight weeks left until the July 31 trade deadline, it would surprise no one if they make another big move to plug their newest hole.

The Phillies might be able to find someone who can play center field. They may find someone who can capably man the leadoff spot. But they are unlikely to find another McCutchen, the least of the Phillies’ concerns until, suddenly, he was their biggest.

Andrew McCutchen and Phillies a reminder of Pirates’ choices

By Kevin Gorman

https://triblive.com/sports/kevin-gorman-andrew-mccutchen-and-phillies-a-reminder-of-pirates-choices/

February 23, 2019

Philadelphia Phillies' Andrew McCutchen signs autographs before a spring training baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Saturday, in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)

Andrew McCutchen was sitting at his locker stall and twisting the locks atop his head when asked why he signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

McCutchen broke into a broad smile.

“See what they offered me?” McCutchen said, laughing in reference to his three-year, $50-million contract. “That’s an easy choice.”

If there was a constant reminder of choices for the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was opening Grapefruit League play Saturday against McCutchen and the Phillies at Spectrum Field. McCutchen got the big-money commitment from the Phillies that the Pirates weren’t willing to make when they traded him to the San Francisco Giants in January 2018 with a year left on the six-year, $51.5-million extension he signed in 2012.

“It’s a crazy dynamic of the game, how it’s changed so much,” McCutchen said. “When I was 25, signing my extension, I was like, ‘Shoot, I’ll be 32 at the end of it. I can get me another five-, six-, seven-year deal, even if I put up mediocre numbers.’ That was the market back then. But the market’s definitely changed. You’re not getting paid for past performance. You’re getting paid for projected performance.”

Thirteen months later, projections are the Pirates look like they made a smart baseball move with McCutchen. The five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP batted .255 with 20 home runs and 65 RBIs in 155 games last season, spending the final month with the New York Yankees after an Aug. 31 trade.

The Pirates were convinced they couldn’t afford that production at such a steep price tag. They went 82-79 without McCutchen, but attendance suffered. Turns out, the Pirates vastly underestimated the emotional attachment fans had to the player who was the catalyst of their turnaround from two decades of losing to three consecutive postseasons. It’s no coincidence one of their biggest crowds last season (34,720) was for Cutch’s return.

“It was really different seeing him in a Giant uniform,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said before the Phillies game. “He looks good in red — there’s not a big-league uniform he’s not going to look good in — and he’s ecstatic about his opportunity there. He’s one of our favorites. He did everything that an organization could ask a man to do. We’ll all be pulling for him in Philadelphia when we’re not playing him.”

Whether or not that feeling is mutual for McCutchen, he showed class by tipping his cap toward Hurdle and the Pirates after receiving a warm ovation upon being introduced in the starting lineup for the Phillies.

But McCutchen also feigned indifference when asked about starting the spring against the Pirates, coyly suggesting he only found out Friday. He said he follows the Pirates on Twitter and knew they finished above .500 without him but was well aware they are projected to have MLB’s second-lowest Opening Day payroll.

“I know their payroll is what it is — what, $68 million? — compared to everyone else,” McCutchen said. “That hasn’t changed. It’s always been that way. They have a different philosophy. It’s making things work without spending a lot of money to get big-name guys. That’s the way it’s always been. They did well for themselves last year. They had an over-.500 season. That was good. It shows you don’t always need the payroll to win. That’s always been their philosophy.”

The Phillies, meantime, are spending like they won Powerball. Not only did they sign McCutchen but they traded with Seattle for shortstop Jean Segura and the Marlins for catcher J.T. Realmuto and locked up 25-year-old pitcher Aaron Nola to a club-friendly contract. More important, they remain the frontrunner for Bryce Harper, the bonanza of free agency who could instantly change them from contenders to favorites.

“We all know what he can do. He changes the team. He changes it a lot of whatever team he’s on,” McCutchen said. “The Phillies have done a good job getting some guys here. … It’s a great team here, and he’s only going to make it better. It would be amazing. We saw a helicopter circling around here the other day, and we were joking that it would be funny if he just landed and got out. Who knows?”

We made the same joke upon seeing a helicopter flying over Pirate City, without any expectations whatsoever of a grand entrance. That’s the difference between these teams on opposite ends of the state. The Phillies aren’t just talking about winning a World Series, they are making every effort to attract the best free agents on the market. That was another thing they offered that made McCutchen’s decision easy.

“That’s part of the reason I came over here. I knew that the Phillies were a team trying to get big-name guys,” McCutchen said. “They did that with me, and I was pumped about that. And I knew they weren’t done. … I just want to win a championship, and I think this team is capable of that.”

McCutchen, however, also described how championship teams require certain chemistry. He was the centerpiece when the Pirates built a contender through draft and development and added complementary pieces, but also experienced the Giants going 79-83 after adding Evan Longoria, Austin Jackson and Tony Watson.

So, McCutchen knows buying big names doesn’t necessarily bring a championship. Where the Pirates are seeking internal solutions for power, the Phillies are planning to throw money at a power hitter. They are differing philosophies toward chasing a championship, so it will be interesting to see if the proof is in the payroll.

But having that choice sure makes it easier to accept what they are offering.

Love baseball? Stay up-to-date with the latest Pittsburgh Pirates news.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email atkgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

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Related:

https://www.philly.com/phillies/philadelphia-phillies-andrew-mccutchen-major-league-baseball-free-agency-20190222.html

Back in Bay Area, playoff pursuit continues for Andrew McCutchen

By Ann Killion

https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/annkillion/

September 3, 2018

Andrew McCutchen #26 of the New York Yankees scores beating the throw to Jonathan Lucroy #21 of the Oakland Athletics in the top of the first inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on September 3, 2018 in Oakland, California.(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images North America) 

Andrew McCutchen was back in the Bay Area on Monday after a whirlwind three days that included a trade from the Giants to the Yankees, a beard-shaving session with his son Steel, a cross-country flight, two appearances in pinstripes at Yankee Stadium and a flight back to the Bay Area.

“I’ve just got to get acclimated,” McCutchen said before Monday’s game at the Coliseum. “Getting to know names, learning it all in a very short period of time. But everyone’s pumped. Excited.”

What’s not to be excited about? McCutchen finds himself in a postseason race with the most storied franchise in baseball history.

Finding his way onto a contender was what McCutchen hoped for when the Giants traded for him in January. That was the first time in his career, after nine seasons as the face of the Pirates, that he had to walk into a new clubhouse and learn new names and faces and routines.

He had hopes then of reaching the postseason. But, though he was one of the team’s most consistent players, it became clear that wasn’t going to happen in San Francisco.

“That’s always what you want, but we just weren’t able to make that push,” he said.

But from his vantage point, he doesn’t think the Giants need to tear down anything and start over. To him, injuries were the tale of the season.

“We didn’t have our horses,” he said. “We had all our guys together for maybe three weeks.”

He thinks the young Giants players got valuable experience and that the fans that he loved playing in front of wouldn’t tolerate a massive rebuild. He believes the team is going to be fine, and he fully enjoyed his experience there.

Now he’s clean-shaven for the first time in a long time, wearing No. 26 and batting leadoff. He shaved — in order to adhere to the Yankees’ “facial hair” policy — while holding his young son Steel because McCutchen was worried he would be unrecognizable; but all is good, Steel still knows dad without the whiskers.

In Monday’s 6-3 loss to the A’s, McCutchen went 1-for-4. He had a stolen base and scored the game’s first run.

After McCutchen was traded, he posted a heartfelt message on social media thanking the Giants and their fans. It was accompanied by a photo of the huge poster of him that hung over one of the entrances of AT&T Park, along with the words, “To see this every day I came to the stadium was surreal and it gave me chills every time!”

When McCutchen left San Francisco, the sign was still up. It no longer is.

“I didn’t see it coming down,” he said. “I probably would have cried.”

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion

Yankees agree to deal for veteran Andrew McCutchen

By Joel Sherman

https://nypost.com/2018/08/30/yankees-trade-for-veteran-outfielder-andrew-mccutchen/

August 30, 2018

Kiel Maddox/USA Today Sports

Andrew McCutchen is a shadow of the player he was when he won the 2013 NL MVP award. But he is still an extraordinary upgrade on Shane Robinson and as good an insurance policy for Aaron Judge as the Yankees could get this late in a season.

That is why the Yankees agreed to a trade with the Giants Thursday night that would send them McCutchen for two minor leaguers. The deal was considered near the finish line, but not done. As long as it is completed by Friday midnight, McCutchen would be eligible to be on the Yankees’ playoff roster.

The Yankees have been without Judge, who has a chip fracture of his right wrist, since July 27. Initially they had hoped he could return in three weeks, but then amended that to 5-6 weeks. Five weeks into the healing, however, Judge has not yet swung a bat. Even if he returns now, the Yankees cannot be sure, because of his violent swing, what they will be getting at this late date.

Clint Frazier (who began a rehab stint Thursday) and Jacoby Ellsbury (out for the year) also have not been available and the Yankees in recent years have traded a load of outfielders such as Ben Gamel, Billy McKinney and Jake Cave, who could be on the major league roster now.

That has had them playing Neil Walker out of position in right field or turning to the journeyman Robinson, whose 0-for-4 in an 8-7 loss Thursday to the Tigers dropped his average to .143. In addition, Aaron Boone has probably had to play Brett Gardner more than he had hoped through this outfield injury period and even use Giancarlo Stanton more than he had hoped.

McCutchen, even diminished with his 32nd birthday approaching in October, is still a starting major league outfielder. He is hitting .255 this year with 15 homers and a .772 OPS, while playing exclusively in right field. McCutchen got through waivers, which meant he could be traded to any team.

McCutchen is making $14.75 million this year, but as part of the trade last offseason that sent him from the Pirates to the Giants, Pittsburgh picked up $2.5 million. Thus, McCutchen has roughly $2 million left. Even if the Yankees picked up that whole amount, it would not put them over the $197 million luxury-tax threshold that they have vowed to stay beneath.

One of the two prospects the Giants would receive is infielder Abiatal Avelino, who between Double- and Triple-A, was hitting .287 with 15 homers this year.

Giants’ Andrew McCutchen recalls Barry Bonds’ home run pursuits: ‘You got upset if he got a base hit’

By John Shea

https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Giants-Andrew-McCutchen-recalls-Barry-Bonds-13145777.php

August 9, 2018

Barry Bonds’ number-retirement party, set for Saturday, hits home for Andrew McCutchen. Like Bonds, McCutchen was a league MVP outfielder in Pittsburgh before joining the Giants.

Two differences, though: McCutchen was traded (Bonds signed as a free agent) and arrived at a more advanced age.

“To have that honor, I think it’s pretty cool for him,” McCutchen said Thursday. “I’m happy to be here and be a part of it.”

McCutchen, 31, was 6 when Bonds joined the Giants in 1993 — wearing No. 25, also his dad Bobby’s number — and vividly recalls Bonds’ path to the all-time home run record, set in 2007. When Bonds became the season homers king in 2001, McCutchen was 14.

“Growing up as a kid, I always sat down in front of the TV to watch him hit a home run,” McCutchen said. “That was it. I didn’t care about a single or walk or double or triple. I wanted to see a homer. I wasn’t the only kid or even adult who felt like that. He might’ve been the only person of that era who made a base hit seem pretty boring. You got upset if he got a base hit.”

Now that they’re both on the same payroll, McCutchen has gotten to know Bonds better, starting in spring training. Bonds is a Giants special adviser.

“He looks at the game through a different lens compared with a lot of people,” McCutchen said. “It’s one of the reasons he was the player he was. To pick his brain a little bit every now and then, it’s really neat. He’s a scholar in the game. You’ve got a question, he’s going to answer it in a different way than someone else may answer it.

“His brain is literally different. ... I might be thinking just hit the ball up the middle. He’s thinking in a totally different lens. He’s thinking about catching the ball with his bat. Little things like that.”

Asked about the Hall of Fame, which has been out of Bonds’ reach because of his link to performance-enhancing drugs, McCutchen said, “I don’t make those decisions. Nothing I could say about it. He has the numbers to be there.”

As Pirates gear up for playoffs, Andrew McCutchen wonders why this season is different

By Bob Nightengale

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/giants/2018/08/06/andrew-mccutchen-giants-pirates-trades-playoffs/912047002/

August 6, 2018

PHOENIX -- San Francisco Giants right fielder Andrew McCutchen sat watching the moves, his mouth agape, trying to comprehend what was happening in his adopted hometown of Pittsburgh. 

Where was this aggressive behavior during those dozen years McCutchen was in the Pirates’ organization? Why didn’t this happen when they were in the thick of the playoff race the past four years? And why in the world did they ever dump him and ace Gerrit Cole within a 48-hour span just seven months ago? 

This was the only team in baseball who failed to sign a major-league free agent last winter, a key component in the Major League Players Association’s grievance. The Pirates shaved $19 million in payroll with the McCutchen and Cole trades. 

Now, they’re one of the big boys on the block, acquiring starter Chris Archer and reliever Keone Kela and assuming more than $30 million in salary obligations.

There are so many questions, and McCutchen has so few answers. He simply shakes his head and grins in disbelief. If there are any ill feelings, he isn’t expressing them publicly. 

“It was definitely surprising to see because they’ve never done that before, at least when I was there,’’ McCutchen told USA TODAY Sports. “Yeah, they made trades when I was there, but nothing like getting an ace starter. 

“You either change with the times, or you get left behind. Maybe they were tired of getting left behind.’’ 

Maybe it was winning 15 of 19 games before the trade deadline? Maybe it was the drastic decline in attendance to the tune of 368,000 fans? Maybe, as McCutchen said, it was just learning from their past. 

“You’ve got to understand the fanbase, what we’ve been though the past few years, not winning, and having a window to win,’’ McCutchen said. “... Maybe, it comes with experience knowing that they need to act and get the pieces they need, as opposed to the past, where they said, “Hey, we’re good with what we got.’ ’’

The Pirates have gone decades without making a significant move at the trade deadline. They would make a slight modification, stand pat, or sell since they ended their 20-year losing drought in 2013.

Still, they passed at the trading deadline in 2013, making trades only after Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd cleared waivers in August. They didn’t do a thing in 2014. They grabbed Aramis Ramirez, J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and Joakim Soria in 2015. And they gave up in 2016, trading closer Mark Melancon and starter Francisco Liriano. 

Now, here they are, acting like they’re the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers, with their World Series’ odds dramatically dropping from 250-1 to 40-1. 

Where was all this action back when they were smack in the middle of the National League Central race, winning 98 games in 2015, but watching everyone else make the big moves? 

“We felt we had a good team to compete,’’ McCutchen said, “but then you see other teams making those moves, getting the key pieces to their team to make them stronger, and you feel like, 'Dang, we’ve got to do something, too.’ 

“It just didn’t happen.’’ 

The Pirates, 7½ games out of first place and five games back for the second wild-card spot with a 57-55 record, were more aggressive than at any time before, despite having an inferior record and being further back in the standings than at this time in 2012-2015. 

“This is a clear statement that we have an opportunity we can seize,’’ Pirates president Frank Coonelly told Pittsburgh reporters, “and we have to take an aggressive position. We’ve taken a position that is probably more aggressive than we have in the past in that regard, in part because we think we have better depth than we’ve had in the past.” 

The shame is that McCutchen isn’t in Pittsburgh to enjoy this renaissance and celebrate the reawakening of an organization, perhaps going where no Pirates team has gone since the days of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla.

Three weeks from now, who knows where McCutchen may be playing? 

The Giants aren’t in the thick of the NL West race, but they’re not out of it, either. They are hanging around, 5 games out of first place behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, and trailing the Colorado Rockies. 

McCutchen, a free agent after the season, likely will be placed through waivers this month and clear, considering his $14.75 million contract. The Giants will hang onto McCutchen if they believe they are in contention by the end of August. If not, they’ll trade him. 

“It should be a pretty interesting August,’’ says McCutchen, who’s hitting .265 with 12 homers and 46 RBI, after hitting 28 homers with 88 RBI a year ago. “We’re still in this thing, despite all of our injuries, and the front office still has the belief we can do this. 

“It’s so much better to be in this situation than when you’re out of it, and are selfish, just stacking up numbers.’’ 

If the Giants fall out of it and decide to trade McCutchen, wouldn’t it be cool if he winds up in Pittsburgh the final month, giving the team depth, leadership, and a link to their past? 

His No. 22 still is available. Archer changed uniform numbers and took No. 24 out of respect for McCutchen, saying it should be eventually retired. 

“I didn’t talk to him about it,’’ McCutchen said, “but it was nice of him, respectful. Who knows where I’ll end up. I try not to think about that. 

“I want to win, I really do, but I want to win right here.’

Follow Nightengale on Twitter and Facebook

McCutchen should still play for Pirates

By John Steigerwald

https://www.indianagazette.com/sports/mccutchen-should-still-play-for-pirates/article_0fe2398a-5673-11e8-8f8d-a7ea9cc16b31.html

May 13, 2018

Andrew McCutchen #22 of the San Francisco Giants waits on deck in the fifth inning of Friday night's game (Getty Images)

Good for Andrew McCutchen.

He got a long and well-deserved standing ovation from 34,000 fans on his return to PNCPark on Friday night. The Pirates put together a nice video tribute and put it up on the big screen.

Probably quite a few goose bumps and maybe even some tears in the stands.

Very nice.

Except that it stinks.

It was another big crowd at PNCPark that showed up for the wrong reason. This time it was McCutchen, who’s, you know, not a Pirate.

For most of the games since the park opened in 2001 it’s been about food, fireworks, the view, post-game concerts, the visiting team or some other promotion.

Except for a three-year window from 2013-2015, the Pirates drew way more fans than they deserved.

The turnout Friday night was a shining example of everything that’s wrong with major league baseball.

Isn’t it a little ridiculous that the Pirates got what might be their biggest crowd of the year because so many people wanted to show a player, who was sent away, how glad they were to see him back?

McCutchen coming back “home” was the lead story on the local newscasts and the No. 1 topic on all the talk shows.

We were told that he’s a generational player — one of the greatest Pirates of all time.

We were told what a good guy he is and how much he contributed to the community off the field.

So why is he playing for the San Francisco Giants?

Money.

He’s 31 and ready to sign a new contract that the Pirates didn’t think that they could afford. The media did a nice job of selling the idea that it was actually a smart deal by the Pirates. Because, as everybody knows, when a guy turns 31 and may have shown some signs of slowing down, it’s time to cut the cord — not sign him to a long-term deal.

That, unfortunately, is a steaming pile of horse manure.

It may be true in 2018, but not because of his age. It’s because of where he was playing and major league baseball’s stupid economics.

Save your debate about whether the Nutting family is cheap, but I’m always a little uncomfortable when spending someone else’s money.

McCutchen plays for the Giants because MLB doesn’t have a salary cap.

It’s a good thing the Pirates didn’t feel the need to trade Roberto Clemente when he turned 31. He had 202 hits, batted .317 and won a Gold Glove that year. The next year, he had the highest batting average of his career (.357) and won a batting title. He slowed down a little at 33 and hit only .291 but came back and hit .345 at 34. I think everybody knows what he did in 1971 at 36.

Willie Stargell showed signs of slowing down at 28 when he batted only .237. Good thing the Pirates kept him around after he turned 31 in 1971. He batted .295 with 48 home runs and 125 RBIs. Two years later he hit .299 with 44 home runs and 119 RBIs. I think everybody remembers what he did in 1979 when he was 37.

Good thing McCutchen’s new team didn’t get rid of Willie Mays when he turned 31. He played in 162 games and hit .304 with 49 home runs and 141 RBI. The next three years he hit 38, 47 and 52 home runs and won Gold Gloves.

Andrew McCutchen should still be a Pirate. He’s not playing for another team for any reason other than MLB’s economic stupidity. The scene at PNCPark on Friday night was every bit as sad as it was heartwarming.

Maybe more.

• There’s plenty of room for analysis when it comes to the Penguins being knocked out in the second round by the Washington Capitals. But here’s a pretty simple explanation: The Capitals are pretty good.

They’re 9-2 in their last 11 playoff games after easily beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday night.

The series has a long way to go, but I’m not sure I buy what seems to be the consensus among Penguins fans and local media that the Capitals have no chance.

• It’s been brought to my attention that organized co-ed kickball has become a popular activity among adult men. (I know. I don’t get out much.) Please tell me that grown men still also play in competitive softball leagues in the summer and only play co-ed kickball to meet women.

Otherwise, I have serious doubts about the future of my gender.

• A Manhattan Assembly woman has introduced a bill in the New York Legislature that would ban high school rifle teams.

And, for good measure, she threw in archery. Linda Rosenthal says she did it after she heard that the Parkland, Fla., shooter had honed his gun skills through a school-sponsored program.

“Schools should not be supporting the spread of gun culture in society,” she said.

No explanation was given for archery being banned.

What’s next? Wrestling? The javelin?

Celebrating Andrew McCutchen as a giant for the Pirates

By Kevin Gorman

http://triblive.com/sports/

May 11, 2018

Andrew McCutchen #22 of the San Francisco Giants acknowledges the fans during a standing ovation against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 11, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The standing ovation started before his number and name were announced, and the cheering and clapping continued for 90 seconds.

Andrew McCutchen needed no introduction to PNC Park.

But his raw-emotion response was neither to shed a tear nor crack a smile but simply take off his batting helmet in appreciation of the applause.

It was a business-like response to a business decision, the Pirates trading the five-time All-Star in January to the San Francisco Giants.

“This is a business,” said Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison, Cutch's close friend. “I don't think there's any question that Pittsburgh holds a special place in his heart, but for you to truly move on and be the best you can be, you have to focus on the present. But he's a San Francisco Giant.”

McCutchen was the face of the Pirates the past nine years, and Friday was a night to celebrate his return to Pittsburgh.

If this homecoming was harder, it's because everything started backward.

“Good to be back. Still hasn't really set in yet, being on visitors' side. A little weird,” McCutchen said four hours before first pitch. “I felt like I needed a few more steps. Just something you always walk by it, but you don't ever notice it. Now you notice it. It was a little different, getting used to that clubhouse.”

It was a little different, getting used to McCutchen wearing the Giants' road grays and coming out of the visitors' dugout, too.

Andrew Rodenbeck bought a photograph of a dreadlocked McCutchen running out of the dugout at the 2013 wild-card game against the Cincinnati Reds, the first playoff for either Andrew.

Rodenbeck staked a spot in the front row along the third base line, where McCutchen personalized an autograph.

“Once they traded him and the schedule came out, this game was circled on my calendar,” said Rodenbeck, 18, a senior at Blackhawk.

“It's kind of funny. My senior prom (was Friday), and I chose this. I'd much rather be here. He's my favorite player, and I wanted to welcome him back. I feel like I had to be here.”

So did everyone among the 34,720 fans, the largest crowd of the season.

They saw McCutchen share hugs with Pirates hitting coach Jeff Branson and manager Clint Hurdle and Gregory Polanco and Harrison during batting practice, Jordy Mercer, Josh Bell, David Freese and even the Pirate Parrot mascot while stretching in the outfield.

McCutchen then showed as much emotion as we would see. He removed his cap, bowed his head and took a knee in center field in what appeared to be a moment of prayer and reflection.

When it was time for McCutchen to bat, Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli stood at the edge of the infield with his back to the mound. That was an indication that this moment belonged to Cutch, for however long he wanted it to last.

McCutchen soaked it in but was ready to get back to baseball. When he didn't swing at Jameson Taillon's 3-2 pitch low and away, home-plate umpire Chris Segal signaled a strikeout.

Guess somebody forgot to inform Taillon, Segal and even Starling Marte that this was Cutch's night. His replacement in center and the No. 3 in the order smacked a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the first.

In between, the Pirates' 30-second video tribute was perfect: highlights ranging from McCutchen's first MLB hit to a winning home run to a diving catch to dancing in the dugout to his first career grand slam to that big, beaming smile.

Despite striking out twice and grounding out once, McCutchen added more highlights. He threw out Colin Moran at home to end the sixth and then doubled to left in the seventh.

It was McCutchen as we should remember him best, as a Pirate who was once was a giant instead of a Giant who was once a Pirate.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

A chance to cheer for Andrew McCutchen, Pirates

By Kevin Gorman

http://triblive.com/sports/

May 10, 2018



San Francisco Giants' Andrew McCutchen watches his three-run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, April 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

"The fans … the fans, man. I don't even know what to say. They just erupted. ... They're showing their appreciation for me, that's humbling. But then it just kept … going. And going, and going. It kept going until there was nothing that I could do but tip my cap. Until there was nothing left for me but to acknowledge it, and embrace it. And for a moment, even — savor it.”

— Andrew McCutchen, in The Players' Tribune, on his last at-bat at PNC Park

Nothing in our city is as awkward as a fan favorite returning to his adopted hometown wearing the colors of another team and town.

Nothing in our city could be more cathartic than embracing these Pirates while celebrating Cutch.

Andrew McCutchen, former face of the Pirates, deserves nothing less than Pittsburgh's best.

But so do these Pirates.

When McCutchen steps to the batter's box Friday wearing the San Francisco Giants' road grays trimmed in black and orange, he should be received with open arms and a roaring ovation.

One that should resemble what he described in his final game at PNC Park against the Baltimore Orioles in September.

McCutchen called that the ovation of his life.

He deserves another.

So, savor this weekend as one to celebrate the man who was the embodiment of a magical run that rebonded Pittsburgh with the Pirates.

Savor it as a weekend to remember that moment when McCutchen smiled to the heavens when celebrating that 82nd victory in 2013 to end the two-decade drought from a winning season.

Savor it as a weekend to show appreciation for a generational talent who helped generations of Pittsburghers fall back in love with baseball, for a five-time All-Star and the Bucs' first NL MVP since Barry Bonds.

Celebrate it.

But this could also serve as a weekend where Pittsburghers can show their appreciation for McCutchen and start to make peace with being Pirates fans again after an agonizing offseason.

When the Pirates traded McCutchen, we rightly believed it ripped the heart and soul out of their team. But the Pirates have reinvented themselves and here they are at 21-16, a half-game out of first place heading into Thursday night's games.

You can cheer your Bucs, too, just as loud and proud.

These Pirates deserve as much from their fans.

There doesn't have to be an internal conflict. It doesn't negate Pirates owner Bob Nutting saying he wanted McCutchen to be a Pirate for life and never so much as making an offer, but this weekend is the perfect time to make peace with the notion that McCutchen moving on was inevitable.

That McCutchen wanted to wear one hat for his entire career and be synonymous with the city is admirable, even more so that he made Pittsburgh his home. But it comes down to this: The Pirates weren't willing to pay him market value, and he wasn't willing to accept another hometown discount.

McCutchen has moved on, embracing his new team and town. Maybe that's what he had to do, to get past his disappointment. Maybe it's time Pittsburgh does the same, instead of putting a favorite player ahead of its favorite team. Ironic, isn't it, that McCutchen could be the best draw for the Pirates this season?

McCutchen deserves another ovation to savor, one that tells him he will always be a Pirate for life.

Even while wearing another team's colors.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

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