PITTSBURGH -- There aren't many players to have donned a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform whose on-the-field accomplishments can match that of the illustrious Roberto Clemente.
17-year big leaguer Andrew McCutchen can now say he’s one of the select few.
In the fifth inning of Wednesday afternoon’s 5-2 series-finale victory over Miami at PNC Park, McCutchen drove a Cal Quantrill pitch over the wall in left-center field, giving him his 241st home run as a Pirate, passing Clemente for sole possession of third place all-time on the organization's home run list. The blast, McCutchen’s sixth of the season, came less than two weeks after McCutchen tied Clemente on the list, and was the outfielder’s first home run at home this season.
“I’m more excited about the win than [the home run], because I could've done it and lost and I would've been like, ‘Alright, cool,’” McCutchen said. “To get the win and do it, you know, definitely helps appreciate it a little more.”
There are now just a pair of hitters in the 138-year history of the organization who have slugged more home runs than Cutch: Ralph Kiner (301) and Willie Stargell (475).
“Unbelievable,” said Pirates interim manager and Pittsburgh native Don Kelly. “Just really cool to be here to witness it. It was a really awesome moment.”
McCutchen struck the ball 103.5 mph off the bat, per Statcast, lodging it under one of the metal bleachers, giving it a distinguishable slash mark on its cover that makes it easily identifiable among McCutchen’s collection of milestone baseballs. McCutchen was given a standing ovation from the 16,000-plus fans in attendance before play resumed.
The ball was caught and returned by Jim Kolesar, a longtime Pirates fan from the South Side.
“Just happy to have that opportunity here at home, because who knows, if I would have hit it in Chicago, maybe I don't get that ball back,” McCutchen joked. “It’s great for it to work out the way that it did.”
Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the organization selecting McCutchen with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2005 MLB Draft out of Fort Meade High School in Fort Meade, Fla. He made his Major League debut just over four years later.
Kelly -- who grew up just down the road, went to college in the city and played alongside McCutchen as young players in affiliated ball -- said he gets chills thinking about how far McCutchen’s come.
“It’s fascinating,” Kelly said. “It’s longevity, it's consistency, it's just the way that he's gone about it. He wasn't here for a few years, too. Where would he be if he was here the whole time? He’s just had a heck of a career.
“Playing Triple-A with him back in 2007, I distinctly remember being in Charlotte, and he hit a ball down the right-field line, it was a triple, and I don't think he touched the ground. It was like he was hovering around [the bases] to third base. You saw the tools, you saw the speed, you saw the power, you saw the way he went after the ball in the outfield. You knew he was good, but to have the career he’s had, to surpass Roberto [is] just unbelievable.”
McCutchen played the first nine seasons of his career with Pittsburgh, including a 2013 campaign in which he was the National League’s Most Valuable Player, and after stints with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers, he returned to the Steel City ahead of the 2023 season.
“That’s absolutely incredible,” starting pitcher Bailey Falter said. “I mean, the guy has been doing it for so long, such a good player, great career numbers. I played with him, one of my first teammates in Philly, so he’s always been good to me. Love that guy to death, and I couldn't be happier for him.”
In 2015, McCutchen became the second Pirate to be given the Roberto Clemente Award (Stargell, 1974). McCutchen said that if he could’ve told his 18-year-old self about his most recent accomplishment, the young ballplayer would've thought that meant that he either turned into the next Babe Ruth or he just played long enough to pile up the numbers.
He’ll take the latter.
“I probably would've been like, ‘Damn, I must've been playing a long time to do that,’” McCutchen said.
McCutchen’s milestone baseball will forever serve as a reminder of everything he worked so hard to achieve through the years.
“Down the road, when my boys are trying me and sizing me up when they get a little older, I’ll take them [to the baseball], and be like, ‘Hey,’ give them a little point and be like, ‘Dad used to be decent at baseball,’” he said.