'It's like he never left': Pirates fans thrilled to see Andrew McCutchen back at PNC Park

Ezera Lenk and his sister Annie had no idea Andrew McCutchen was even at PNC Park when they got in a line that snaked through the Gunner’s Lounge on the club level.

So after an almost hour-long wait, they were thrilled to be among the final Pittsburgh Pirates fans to get autographs from the five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP. Annie Lenk was all smiles, giving a thumb’s up as McCutchen stood to autograph the back of her white No. 22 jersey.

“It’s like he never left,” said Lenk, 45, of Mt. Washington. “It’s like rewinding, in a way, back to the good ol’ days.”

In his return to PNC Park for a Pirates season-ticket holder event, Andrew McCutchen autographed the back of Annie Lenk’s No. 22 jersey and signed her brother Ezera’s portrait Saturday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/fHGmhE0ymq

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 28, 2023

Eight days after signing a one-year, $5 million contract to return to the Pirates following a five-year hiatus, McCutchen enjoyed every interaction with fans as the main attraction Saturday afternoon at a Winter Warmer event for season-ticket holders that drew 1,924 to PNC Park. There was a line outside that curved from Mazeroski Way and around the Home Plate Entrance and Honus Wagner statue and halfway down General Robinson Street.

“It’s good to be able to interact with the fan base,” McCutchen said. “Signing autographs, you get about five seconds per person, but you make the most of it, which is nice. See some familiar faces, too, which is nice. It’s been good seeing all the people here. I can’t wait to get back on the field and do what I’ve always done. That’s just play out here and interact with the fans as much as I can.”

Standing on a balcony overlooking the ballpark, McCutchen reminisced about his “reincarnation” as a Pirate, five years after being traded to the San Francisco Giants in a move that proved heartbreaking both for the popular player and the fans who cheered for him as he led them out of two decades of losing seasons to three consecutive wild-card berths.

While playing for the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, McCutchen had a hard time driving past PNC Park. Now, he admired the grass surface and imagined getting hits through the middle and smiled at the thought of a new scoreboard in left field.

“I pass this place a lot over the years because I live here,” said McCutchen, who still lives in the North Hills. “There were times where I would drive by it, and I couldn’t look at it because I couldn’t be there. There were times where it was difficult to know that I live here, but I don’t play here. Now I don’t have to worry about that this year. I can look at it and now, ‘Shoot, I’m gonna be going back there during the season.’ I get to be able to enjoy that again.”

McCutchen’s return has energized a Pirates fan base frustrated by back-to-back 100-loss seasons and an ownership that fielded a team with the lowest payroll in the National League and third-lowest in baseball last season. Even McCutchen could sense a change.

“You definitely get that and feel that from everyone,” McCutchen said. “I try not to think too deep into it a whole lot, but you can’t help but see what’s going on and how the fan base, some are really happy just to know that I’m back. It breathes a different life into the ball club.”

Even so, McCutchen emphasized he didn’t return to the Pirates simply for a feel-good story or farewell tour. He wants to win and was impressed by a young core when he visited last year. The Pirates went 8-11 against Milwaukee but split their 10 games at home, possibly costing the Brewers a spot in the playoffs.

“I’m not here to make fans happy. I’m here to be on that ballclub and try to win some ballgames,” McCutchen said. “I think we have a really good group of guys who can do that. … Who says that we’re not capable of doing that? Still a possibility. Always possible. That’s what’s going to make it that much sweeter for this team. I’m looking forward to being there and being around it.”

Andrew McCutchen talks about his hopes for helping a turnaround by the Pirates, who have lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons. pic.twitter.com/B1HVmaKZHe

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 28, 2023

After going 62-100 last season, the Pirates have a long way to go. But McCutchen remembers going from a 105-loss season in 2010 to winning 94 games three years later and 98 games in 2015, so it would be “special” to be part of another Pirates renaissance.

“It would mean the world, not with (just) me, but it would mean the world to the fan base as well,” McCutchen said. “The fans here, they don’t want to see another 20 years of losing … and rightfully so. They don’t want that to happen. I don’t want that to happen either.”

Andrew McCutchen on why he doesn’t believe his return to the Pirates will affect his legacy. pic.twitter.com/Llss4mVolP

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 28, 2023

McCutchen should surpass several career milestones this summer, needing 52 hits to reach 2,000, 17 walks for 1,000, eight doubles for 400 and 13 home runs for 300, so he’s not worrying about whether his return to the Pirates at age 36 will affect his legacy as one of their icons. He’s counting on his familiarity with the franchise and the city to make for a smooth transition.

“I don’t need to. I have nothing to prove. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone,” McCutchen said. “I’m here because I know that I can still play the ballgame, and that ballclub and that front office, they believe that. I don’t need to put more pressure on myself. I never have, and I never will. I’m out there and I’m enjoying myself.”