The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Andrew McCutchen 11th overall in the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft and it didn’t take very long for him to become a fan favourite. The Fort Meade, Florida native went on to play 1,346 games in a Pirates uniform over the course of nine seasons, was named to five consecutive All-Star teams from 2011-2015 and won the NL MVP in 2013.
However, they say all good things come to an end and that’s the case with McCutchen. After becoming the face of the franchise, the 31-year-old started a new chapter in his professional career and in his life as he was dealt to the San Francisco Giants on January 15, 2018. Nearly four months later the man known as ‘Cutch’ made his return to Pittsburgh and he got an incredible ovation from the Pirates faithful as he stepped up to the plate in the top of the first inning.
McCutchen got a little more than just an incredible standing ovation as the team also prepared a fantastic tribute video that they played before his at-bat.
During his time with the Pirates, McCutchen totaled 203 home runs and 725 RBI to go along with 171 stolen bases, a .291 batting average and a .379 OBP, but more importantly he helped bring playoff baseball back to Pittsburgh for the first time in more than 20 years.
(H/T Twitter/SFGiants)
