It wasn’t the best day I’ve spent at PNC Park. That happened in 2013, the night of the Pirates’ wild card win against the Cincinnati Reds. That was the most amazing sporting event I have attended. For me, at least, it beat the 1979 World Series, the six Super Bowl wins, the five Stanley Cups and Pitt’s two basketball championships in the Big East tournament.
But I can’t remember too many other better days at the North Shore yard than Sunday.
The Pirates’ 2-1 win against the $345.5 million New York Mets was nice. It secured the series win against MLB’s most expensive team. It ended a 6-3 home stand, which included a three-game sweep of longtime nemesis St. Louis. It kept the ball club in first place in the National League Central.
On June 11.
Can you believe that?
But none of that seemed to matter after Andrew McCutchen lined the third pitch in the bottom of the first from Mets starter Carlos Carrasco for a single to left field. It was his 2,000th career hit. It will go down as one of his greatest accomplishments with the Pirates.
Number 1 has to be the heavy lifting McCutchen did when he helped resurrect the franchise from the dead after 20 years of losing. He was National League MVP in 2013 — that first playoff year — and finished third and fifth in the voting the next two seasons when the team also played in the wild-card game.
Number 2 has to be McCutchen winning the Roberto Clemente award in 2015. There is no better honor in ball because it goes to the player who excels on the field and in his community. It was especially meaningful for McCutchen because he won it while playing for Clemente’s team. “It shows I’m not just playing the game,” he said at the time. “I’m doing more. I’m just trying to use that platform as much as I can. ... The people I encounter about Clemente, not once — not one time — have they talked about him as a baseball player. They talk about him as a person. Overall, that’s what matters.”
This isn’t exactly a breaking story:
McCutchen will go down as one of the iconic figures in Pittsburgh sports history.
“There’s less than 300 people in the history of the game that did it,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of 2,000 hits — 291 now, counting McCutchen.
Adding to the festivities that thrilled the crowd of 26,770 was the extraordinary video scoreboard tribute the Pirates did for McCutchen in the second inning. It was nothing short of wonderful. They played taped interviews with three of this city’s other sports stars who shared the stage with McCutchen during the past 15 years or so.
“Cutch, my brother, congratulations, man, on 2,000 hits,” said former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “What an amazing accomplishment. Just proof of your hard work and dedication to your craft and your sport. I couldn’t be prouder of you, man. You’ve played this game at a very high level for a long time. It’s just so much fun to watch you play. I think one of the coolest things is you were able to do this and hit this feat wearing a Pirates uniform. It wouldn’t seem right to see you accomplish this in anything but the black and gold.”
“Hey, Cutch, just wanted to congratulate you on 2,000 hits,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “I’ve always admired the way that you compete and work over the years. You couldn’t be more deserving of it. Happy to see you get this milestone. Hope you have a great night celebrating it.”
“Cutch, congratulations, man,” said former Pirate Neil Walker. “We should all be so lucky. You’ve done it with grace. You’ve done it with style. You’re such a great teammate, such a good friend to me. I know there’s more in the tank than 2,000, brother. Keep it going. Love you.”
At that point, it wouldn’t have mattered if the Pirates won or lost the game.
You know the harsh truth. These haven’t been good times for our sports teams. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. The Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since 2018. And the Pirates? They’ve been laughable losers for what seems like a lifetime, which makes the first 2 ½ months of this season seem so much more enjoyable.
But seeing Roethlisberger, Crosby and Walker paying tribute to McCutchen brought back such terrific memories of much better sports days. Roethlisberger was the driving force behind two Super Bowl wins. Crosby led the way to three Cups and provided his own unforgettable milestone moment when he scored his 500th career goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in February 2022. Walker, the Pittsburgh Kid, was, like McCutchen, one of the prominent faces of the Pirates’ resurgence in the early-2010s.
Talk about iconic sports figures.
“It was special to hear those messages from them,” McCutchen said.
Special for him.
Special for all of us.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: June 12, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
