Andrew McCutchen started the weekend by staring down then shouting at the umpire after his controversial called third strike cost the Pittsburgh Pirates the go-ahead run in a loss to the San Diego Padres.

The 38-year-old designated hitter challenged his teammates in a closed-door meeting by telling them to earn the respect they desire. Then he led the charge, hitting home runs in back-to-back games.

And chased down a franchise icon in the process.

Not only did McCutchen tie Roberto Clemente with 240 home runs, the third most in club history, but the 17th-year veteran showed his leadership skills. When McCutchen speaks up, his teammates listen.

The five-time All-Star and 2013 National League MVP receives respect inside the clubhouse and dugout not just because of his impressive back-of-the-baseball-card resume but from how he conducts himself.

When Henry Davis was called out while looking at a full-count pitch below the strike zone with the bases loaded, McCutchen stared down home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez. Later, he had some choice words for crew chief Andy Fletcher in the visiting dugout after the game.

Afterward, Pirates manager Don Kelly said the players need to keep grinding to earn respect of their opponents, as well as the umpires. When asked if he had a message to the team, Kelly answered, “McCutchen took care of that.”

Behind closed doors in the visiting clubhouse, McCutchen warned his teammates that the NL Central last-place Pirates won’t get those calls as long as they’re playing a losing brand of baseball.

“You have to earn to get those calls,” McCutchen said. “The way you earn it is by going out and playing good baseball and winning games. If you don’t do that, then this is the type of thing that’s going to happen.”

McCutchen likened it to a minor-league player wearing a high jersey number at spring training who doesn’t get the benefit of doubt on a close call late in a game because he’s wearing No. 95.

“Essentially it’s the same thing when it comes to us and the way we’re playing,” McCutchen said on SportsNet Pittsburgh. “Right now, it’s more, ‘Eh, we’re on the road, playing against the Padres. It’s San Diego. Crucial part of the game, the call goes against us right now.’ If we want that to go for us, we’ve got to go out and do our jobs and try to win ballgames.”

McCutchen’s message resonated with the Pirates. Not only did he talk the talk but he backed it up with his bat. He went 5 for 12 with a double, two homers and three RBIs in the three-game series at San Diego.

“Talking about the leadership qualities that he brings and how he talks to guys and helps them navigate the big leagues, but also understand: Cutch is a professional hitter,” Kelly said. “You don’t get to 240 and tie Roberto by accident. He knows what he’s doing up there. He has a plan. He’s got an approach. There’s a lot of things that he helps with the younger guys in the next generation and bringing them up and teach them some of the things he knows.”

McCutchen has a .264/.368/.402 slash line with nine doubles, five home runs and 18 RBIs in 52 games this season. He leads the Pirates in on-base percentage, is tied for the team lead in doubles and ranks in the top three in most major offensive categories.

Even so, McCutchen hadn’t homered since April 27 at the Los Angeles Dodgers when he hit a first-pitch slider off Dylan Cease for a solo shot to start the fifth inning of Saturday’s 5-0 win. McCutchen went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs on the final day of the month.

“I told the guys, ‘I can’t go 0 for May and not get one cheapie,’ ” McCutchen said. “I’d never done it, I don’t think. I had to get one. I spoke it into fruition, I guess. It’s been a while since I’d hit one. It felt good. Hopefully, I can go on a tear.”

On Sunday, McCutchen sent Randy Vasquez’s 2-2 curveball 365 feet to left field to tie Clemente, the legendary Hall of Fame right fielder.

Where McCutchen shrugged off the magnitude of the milestone, Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney wasn’t aware of McCutchen’s latest milestone until informed during a post-game interview.

“That’s amazing,” Heaney said. “That’s quite an accomplishment, an amazing feat, amazing name to be in the same breath as.”

For McCutchen, the milestones could be a distraction. It took him 10 games to get his 2,000th career hit. And it took 60 games for him to get his fifth home run to tie Clemente. Along the way, McCutchen passed Arky Vaughan for ninth place among the Pirates career hits leaders and Jason Kendall among MLB career hits leaders.

Not that McCutchen ever imagined his name would rank alongside Clemente’s when drafted in the first round by the Pirates in 2005. But it became more realistic the longer McCutchen played, even though he spent five seasons playing for four other teams.

“No, not really, but you get to a certain point — or at least I did in my career — where, initially, we’re pretty naive as baseball players and you get somewhere and you’re like, ‘I’m going to be here forever.’ You start to realize the rarity of that is pretty slim,” McCutchen said. “But when you’re playing and having a decent career and the numbers start stacking up and these numbers start popping up.

“It’s not ever something I really thought about while going through it. You get one, two, however many away and they’re like, ‘You’re this away from that.’ I was like, ‘I didn’t know I was that close.’ Play long enough to have the opportunity. But never really gave it a whole lot of thought. When you’re a few hits or a few homers away, that’s when it pops up and you’re like, ‘OK, cool. We’ll get there at some point.’ ”

McCutchen earned it.

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