'It's unbelievable': Andrew McCutchen passes Pirates great Willie Stargell on MLB hits leaders

Andrew McCutchen didn’t windmill his bat or launch a blast into the upper deck but his base hit Monday night against the Detroit Tigers conjured memories of Willie Stargell anyway.

When McCutchen dropped a bloop single to shallow center field in the fourth inning, he passed the Pittsburgh Pirates great and Hall of Famer on the MLB career hits leaders.

With 2,233 career hits, McCutchen moved out of a tie with Stargell and into sole possession of 178th place among the all-time leaders. Of McCutchen’s career total, 1,748 have come with the Pirates.

“It’s cool. It’s obviously great company, so I don’t know,” McCutchen said. “It’s great to be able to pass someone, any Hall of Famer in any type of category when it comes to stuff like that.”

Cutch Passes Pops ????

With 2,233 career hits, Andrew McCutchen has officially moved past Hall of Famer Willie Stargell on MLB’s all-time leaderboard. Congrats @TheCUTCH22 pic.twitter.com/YNCeRyV6TI

— ???????????? (@NorthShoreNine) July 21, 2025

McCutchen has passed the likes of Larry Walker, Pee Wee Reese, Bill Terry, Joe Kelley, Willie McCovey and Joe DiMaggio while climbing into the top 200 of the hits leaders this season, but surpassing Stargell has special meaning because he won two World Series with the Pirates.

“He is (an icon) but I want a championship,” McCutchen said. “I don’t want hits.”

Stargell played 21 seasons for the Pirates from 1962-82, winning world championships in 1971 and ‘79, when he was the beloved captain of the “We Are Family” Pirates. Stargell owns the franchise records for home runs (475), walks (937), extra-base hits (953) and RBIs (1,540).

McCutchen tied Stargell on Sunday night with a leadoff double in the ninth inning of a 7-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox but said he doesn’t pay much attention to the milestones or which players he’s passing. With his next hit, McCutchen will tie another Hall of Famer in Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt (2,234).

“No, I don’t know until someone tells me,” McCutchen said. “Someone just told me that Mike Schmidt was next. I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Cool.’ I don’t know how many hits. It’s cool to be mentioned like that but I’m going to say the same stuff I say every time you ask me that question.”

Andrew McCutchen has passed Willie Stargell on the all-time hits list pic.twitter.com/SjFBpM9uEk

— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) July 21, 2025

On June 11, McCutchen marked another major milestone moment when he hit his 241st home run to pass the legendary Roberto Clemente for third place in Pirates history. McCutchen’s 243 homers with the Pirates trail only Ralph Kiner (301) and Stargell. Pirates manager Don Kelly, a Mt. Lebanon and Point Park alum who played for the Pirates, understood the magnitude of McCutchen’s latest milestone moment.

“It’s unbelievable,” Kelly said. “Just the career Cutch has had, what he means to the organization, to the city, and just the names that he continues to pass on all kinds of lists is impressive and much deserved for how good he’s been throughout his career.”