Once again, Pirates see McCutchen in another uniform

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He is one of the most impactful players in Pirates history and once again he will wear another uniform in a game against them.

Previously with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers, Andrew McCutchen reunited with the Pirates in 2023 to a special Opening Day with a standing ovation and ovations every at bat for the next three seasons. It was never viewed by the team or McCutchen as a Farewell Tour.

At the end of last season, McCutchen said he was keeping his options open and didn’t close the door on returning. Pirates GM Ben Cherington kept his cards close. According to McCutchen there was no offseason communication between the sides and Cutch still wanted to play. Cherington made other moves and sealed the roster signing Marcell Ozuna as the designated hitter.

That moved looked like a horrible decision early. McCutchen was 6 for his first 14 with the Rangers with a pair of doubles, a home run and 4 RBI and a .467 on-base percentage. Through the game on April 11, Ozuna was hitting .051 with no RBI.

Ozuna heads into Tuesday on a seven-game hitting streak including a pair of home runs and 7 RBIs. McCutchen is hitting .056 in April with one RBI.

Regardless of what he is hitting now or what happened to a close a second chapter with the Pirates, there is internal excitement to see the last Pirates National League MVP.

“Yeah, it'll be different, man,” said Pirates manager Don Kelly. “I think the world of him and excited for the opportunity he has there. It'll be good to catch up with him.”

“Looking forward to seeing the person for sure,” said Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller. “He’s an all-time human being, call him one of my good friends and one of the best teammates I’ve ever been a part of. Still wish he was here obviously, but he’s not so our job is to get him out now.”

The 39-year-old was a Pirates first-round draft pick, four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, five-time All-Star, led the team back in the playoffs three straight years. What happened at the end doesn’t change any of that, for either side.

“I’ll be excited to see him,” McCutchen said. “It’s definitely going to be weird seeing him over there in a different uniform, but I’m glad he’s still in the game and glad we are still playing, able to compete.”