Relive Andrew McCutchen's greatest moments as a Pirate
With the trade of Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants, it seemed appropriate to relive the former face of the franchise's greatest moments as a Pirate.
The Trib ran the following story a day after McCutchen played what has proven to be his final game as a Pirate at PNC Park.
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WASHINGTON — Hey, why the long face?
As he rode his motor scooter out of PNC Park late Wednesday night, maybe Andrew McCutchen was thinking about all the great times he's had on the North Shore. The 5-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles might have marked McCutchen's final home game with the Pirates.
If the club does not pick up the $14.75 million option on McCutchen's contract, he'll become a free agent this offseason. Even if the option is triggered, McCutchen could still be traded over the winter.
Over his nine-year career, McCutchen has played in 673 games at PNC Park. He has a .304 batting average and has hit 92 home runs there.
Here's a look back at some of McCutchen's career highlights at PNC Park:
June 4, 2009 — Called up from Triple-A Indianapolis the day before when Nate McLouth was traded, McCutchen made his big league debut against the New York Mets. He led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to center field off right-hander Mike Pelfrey. McCutchen went 2 for 4, scored three runs and stole a base in the Pirates' 11-6 victory.
Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen is introduced before the National League wild-card game against the Giants on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, at PNC Park.
Photo by Christopher Horner
Oct. 1, 2013 — McCutchen went 2 for 3 with two walks and run in a 6-2 win against the Cincinnati Reds in the National League wild-card game. It was the Pirates' first postseason victory since 1979, and McCutchen was a big reason they got there. That season, he batted .317 with a .911 OPS and was named the league's MVP. His mom sang the national anthem before the game to boot.
May 8, 2015 — Magic can happen before games, too. Working with Make-A-Wish, McCutchen played video games on the JumboTron with 10-year-old Sean Campbell, of Leonardtown, Md., who was born with a heart ailment.
July 11, 2015 — A back-and-forth, five-hour game ended in the 14th inning when McCutchen hit a two-run homer to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5. It was McCutchen's fifth career walk-off homer and extended his hitting streak to 18 games.
Sept. 26, 2017 — In the second inning, McCutchen crushes his first grand slam off Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman. McCutchen went 4 for 4 and collected eight RBI.
Rob Biertempfel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at rbiertempfel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BiertempfelTrib.
