'This is where I needed to be': Andrew McCutchen revels in PNC Park return as a Pirate

Andrew McCutchen leaned back into his chair and imagined hearing “No. 22” and his name announced while wearing black and gold again before his first at-bat with the Pittsburgh Pirates back at PNC Park.

McCutchen allowed his mind to wander with anticipation about the emotions and energy the ovations will bring at Friday’s home opener against the Chicago White Sox, which marks the official return of the former face of the franchise and a Pittsburgh sports icon.

“I mean, I’m not taking it lightly. I’ll be trying to take it in as much as I possibly can, but also understand what I’m there to do, and that’s have a good at-bat,” McCutchen said with a laugh. “At the same time, realizing the importance and how special it is to be in that situation and try to take it in as much as I can because you don’t get this opportunity a whole lot. It’s nice to just be in that situation and in that moment.”

Not gonna lie a #PNCBlackout412 would go craaazy! 1 of the many reasons I love this city! https://t.co/rZFYu5U9ib

— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) April 6, 2023

It’s a moment McCutchen has daydreamed about since signing a one-year, $5 million contract in January. That reunion came five years after the Pirates traded the five-time All-Star outfielder, 2013 National League MVP and catalyst of three consecutive wild-card teams to the San Francisco Giants in one of the most unpopular moves in franchise history.

“I knew I would come back at some point. It was just a matter of when the time was going to be right for myself,” said McCutchen, 36. He played his 1,900th career game Tuesday and is within reach of a celebrating career milestones of 2,000 hits, 1,000 walks, 400 doubles and 300 home runs this season. “There couldn’t have been a better time to have a chance to come back at this time in my career. … I felt this is where I needed to be. It’s nice to be here. It feels right.”

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

Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes gravitated toward McCutchen at the start of spring training, becoming catching partners in workouts and watching closely the confidence with which McCutchen carries himself and how he prepares for practices and games.

“It’s been fun to pick his brain,” said Hayes, who signed the richest contract in franchise history with an eight-year, $70 million deal last April. “He has so much experience, especially winning. And it wasn’t too long ago that he was there, and there was a winning culture and the Pirates were in the playoffs.

“Little stuff that he’s already brought to our attention has helped a lot. It’s made guys think about things differently, how they go about their work. A guy that won an MVP, Silver Slugger awards, a Gold Glove and is a good human on the field and off the field, we’re fortunate to have him as a teammate.”

Asked what he hopes to accomplish in his return to the Pirates, Andrew McCutchen shouts, “I want to win!” Here’s the rest of his response: pic.twitter.com/MV70yFbU76

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 20, 2023

Perhaps no Pirate feels as fortunate as All-Star closer David Bednar, a Mars Area High School alumnus who grew up admiring McCutchen as he led the Pirates out of two decades of futility. The franchise set a modern North American pro sports record with 20 straight losing seasons before going 94-68 in 2013 and beating the Cincinnati Reds in the wild card game at PNC Park.

Not only was McCutchen the superstar face of the franchise, but he also was a team ambassador and the 2015 recipient of Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award for sportsmanship and community service.

“Just what he’s done for the City of Pittsburgh, off the field, it’s really unreal,” said Bednar, the club’s Clemente Award nominee last year. “He’s such a great example for everybody else. Growing up, he was the guy. Now, to be teammates with him, it’s really special.

“It’s come full circle. You see all the accolades on the field and everything he does in the community. To get to know him more and see how good of a dude he is, his work ethic and how carries himself, that’s the coolest part to me: He’s just as good of a dude as he is a player.”

Related Andrew McCutchen stories:

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

That explains why McCutchen never left the hearts of Pittsburghers. Pirates fans continued to wear replicas of his No. 22 jersey to PNC Park — even when he was wearing the colors of the Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers.

When he returned, McCutchen often drew the largest crowds and loudest cheers.

When McCutchen entered free agency this past offseason, he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the overtures from other teams. He continued to make his home in the North Hills and was ready to return to the Pirates. Conversations with team chairman Bob Nutting opened the door for a reunion.

“I’m thrilled to have Andrew back with the team. He’s a remarkable player, a remarkable person and a great Pittsburgher,” Nutting told the Tribune-Review during spring training in Bradenton, Fla. “But I think our whole baseball operations staff is equally pleased to have him back. It wasn’t a lot of arm twisting, the level of enthusiasm to get Andrew back in the fold, to get him back in black and gold where he belongs.

“Everybody inside the Pirates organization is enthusiastic. I’m personally incredibly enthusiastic. As importantly, I think Andrew, (his wife) Maria and their family are enthusiastic. It’s a great fit. It’s where he should be.”

When McCutchen last played for the Pirates at PNC Park, he and Maria didn’t have any children. Now they have three: sons Steel, 5, and Armani, 3, and daughter Ave Maria, almost 18 months.

“They weren’t here when Daddy was a Pirate,” McCutchen said. “Now, three kids later, they all get to be there and experience it. That makes the moment that much more special.”

It took some time for McCutchen to get past the hard feelings of his exit, given that Nutting once claimed he wanted McCutchen to be a Pirate for life. When McCutchen returned to PNC Park for the first time with the Giants, on May 11, 2018, it drew a crowd of 34,720.

McCutchen, however, was uncomfortable when he received a 90-second standing ovation while wearing the Giants’ road grays. He neither smiled nor shed a tear, simply removing his batting helmet to acknowledge an audience he never wanted to leave.

“It’s way different, honestly. I wasn’t looking forward to it when I came back, quite frankly. I didn’t want that to happen,” McCutchen said. “You anticipate how it’s going to be. It’s just different when you’re on another team and coming back. It’s something that I appreciated every moment of it, but I know emotionally I just wasn’t going to be there, as far as playing the game. You deal with so many emotions.

“It’s hard for anybody to really understand what it means to you and how it feels. Honestly, I didn’t even want to play that game.”

It showed in his performance. McCutchen went 1 for 5 in the 11-2 loss and struck out twice, once on a check swing with a runner on third base and another time with the bases loaded. He did have his moments, throwing out Colin Moran at home from right field and hitting a double.

Hearing the cheers while wearing a Pirates uniform will be a welcome change for McCutchen, who is thrilled to be back in black and gold and ready to revel in his return.

“I’m back, I’m on the home side again so it’s not something I’m not looking forward to,” McCutchen said. “It’s going to definitely be different. It’s going to be great.

“This uniform is what I first wore. It’s nice to be able to throw it on again. It’s familiar, you know? Familiar with your body, familiar with your mind. It feels right, man.

”It’s like Batman putting on his suit again.”