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A swing, a step, a slow jog to first. At 38 years old, Andrew McCutchen knew the second he connected. The ball soared into the thick afternoon air over PNC Park, and the home crowd knew it too—before it landed, before the scoreboard changed, even before the dugout emptied.
With that 405-foot missile, McCutchen moved past the immortal Roberto Clemente on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ all-time home run list, delivering his 241st in a Pirates uniform. And not a soul in the stadium sat down until he stepped back onto the field for a curtain call—a rare, spontaneous outpouring of love that few players ever get to experience, let alone earn.
One Swing, One Legend Surpassed
It came in the fifth inning of what was already shaping up to be a dominant outing for Pittsburgh. After Ke’Bryan Hayes got aboard with a single and Oneil Cruz worked a walk on a full count, McCutchen dug in against Cal Quantrill, the Marlins’ starter. Quantrill tried to fool him with a splitter. Bad idea.
The sound off the bat said everything. As McCutchen trotted the bases with a quiet nod to the sky, the PNC crowd exploded—cheering not just a home run, but a milestone that had been 17 seasons in the making.
“Moments like this, they just… they hit different,” McCutchen said afterward in the locker room, his voice level but reflective. “You’re not out there chasing records. You’re just playing the game the right way, and the rest takes care of itself.”
Surpassing a Giant: Clemente’s Enduring Shadow
Let’s be clear: passing Roberto Clemente is no ordinary achievement. The Puerto Rican icon, known as much for his humanitarian work as his Hall of Fame career, remains a towering figure in the city’s sports consciousness. For decades, his 240 home runs stood as the third-highest total in Pirates history. Only Ralph Kiner (301) and Willie Stargell (475) remain ahead.
To eclipse Clemente is to enter sacred territory—and McCutchen, fully aware of the symbolism, treated it with respect. He didn’t bask in the moment. He acknowledged it quietly, tipped his cap, and spoke of legacy. Not his—Clemente’s.
Andrew McCutchen: A Career Built in Black and Gold
McCutchen wasn’t just a star when he arrived in 2009. He was the star this franchise had been searching for. The Pirates had drifted through decades of mediocrity before he helped turn the tide. His MVP season in 2013 carried them into the playoffs and gave fans a reason to believe again.
His resume is decorated: five All-Star selections, four Silver Slugger Awards, a Gold Glove, and the coveted Roberto Clemente Award in 2015, recognizing his off-field impact. But numbers aside, McCutchen’s imprint in Pittsburgh is emotional. Cultural. Permanent.
He left—briefly—after the 2017 season, spending time with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies, and Brewers. But when he returned in 2023, it didn’t feel like a comeback. It felt like a continuation.
The Numbers Keep Coming
With that home run, McCutchen added to a stat line that places him firmly among franchise royalty:
- 241 home runs with the Pirates (3rd all-time)
- 325 career home runs in MLB
- 846 walks (5th in team history)
- 626 extra-base hits (6th)
- 843 RBIs (6th)
- 1,721 hits, 6,075 at-bats, 1,638 games—all in the top 10 for Pittsburgh
- 186 stolen bases, 956 runs scored
Yet for all the numbers, it’s the intangible moments that stand out—like Wednesday’s, when the entire stadium, unprompted, rose in a unified gesture of respect.
Quietly Leading, Still Producing
McCutchen isn’t the same player he was at 26, but the bat still has life. Wednesday’s shot was his sixth of the 2025 season, and he continues to get on base, mentor young hitters, and bring competitive fire to a youthful Pirates squad.
“He shows up, puts in the work, never makes it about himself,” manager Derek Shelton said postgame. “You want a role model in that locker room? You’re looking at him.”
That sentiment echoes through the clubhouse. Hayes, Cruz, and others speak of McCutchen not as a teammate, but as a teacher. A tone-setter. A presence. One they trust implicitly.
A Pittsburgh Story Still Being Written
McCutchen has long said he wants to retire a Pirate. Whether that happens this season or the next is beside the point. What matters is that he’s back, and thriving in the only uniform that’s ever truly felt like his.
Wednesday’s game wasn’t just another win, or another milestone—it was a moment of reflection. For fans. For teammates. And maybe, quietly, for McCutchen too.
Because in Pittsburgh, legends don’t just arrive. They return. They stay. And when they hit one into the Allegheny sky, the city stands and says: “Thank you.”
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