In the past seven days, we finally have started to see from Andrew McCutchen what Pittsburgh Pirates fans have received in only small flashes in the past year.
It began to manifest itself Wednesday when McCutchen – after being benched by Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle following an 0-for-5 performance with seven men left on base the night before and a season batting average of .200 – entered the game as a pinch hitter and singled to lead off the 10th inning in Atlanta. McCutchen scored the game-winning run on Gift Ngoepe’s one-out double, but would also be a footnote in what was eventually a seven-run inning that included three straight homeruns by David Freese, Jose Osuna and Jordy Mercer.
We saw it again Saturday night when McCutchen hit a two-run homerun in the top of the second inning off the New York Mets’ Zack Wheeler after a David Freese walk. It was the Pirates first hit of the night and McCutchen’s first big hit to help keep the Pirates in the game, followed by his RBI double in the sixth that cut their deficit to one run. Once again, those plays became footnotes when McCutchen was thrown out at home after running through third base coach Joey Cora’s sign to stop at third base on a single by Francisco Cervelli that never got past the shortstop. John Jaso then drove in the game-tying run in the ninth inning and the game-winning run in the 10th, stealing the headlines from Cutch once again.
Catharsis, Not Celebration
Monday afternoon, McCutchen again showed what he has finally appeared to recapture when he swung at the third pitch he saw in the bottom of the ninth inning – a 97-mph fastball from Archie Bradley – and launched it over the Clemente Wall to spur the Pirates to a 4-3 walk-off victory. The dance he did in his final few steps to home plate looked more like catharsis then a celebration. It was more of Taylor Swift shaking it off than UNK walking it out. But there it was on display for all of baseball to see.
Andrew McCutchen still has some fight left in him. And the Pittsburgh Pirates could use every punch he can throw right now.
“I’m in a better spot than I was in a week ago, a better spot than I was in yesterday,” McCutchen said after the game. “Hopefully it can get hot really soon.”
In a season when every seemingly good thing has come to an end before it could really be enjoyed (the latest being Gregory Polanco’s ankle injury, just when he was starting to rediscover his power swing), the Pirates need a catalyst to stay within striking distance in a National League Central Division that doesn’t seem to want to be claimed as much as passed off in a series of very odd and sophomoric generosity. The Milwaukee Brewers sit in first place at 27-24, the only team in the division above .500. The Pirates at 24-28 are 3.5 games behind with two games remaining in their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks before a five-game East Coast swing against the Mets and Baltimore Orioles.
The odds have been stacked against this team since Jung Ho Kang’s DUI arrest in December, and it seemed like piling on when Starling Marte was suspended in April for a positive drug test for nandrolone. But an even mildly warm McCutchen can add more to what have already been seasons of promise from Adam Frazier, Josh Bell and Josh Harrison. A return of form by the man who should anchor the middle of the batting order could help balance it out and make it stronger.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in no way showing any signs of a dramatic turn of fortune that could save their season or propel it ahead of expectations. But their best player has finally shown a small spark of what could ignite them in a time when striking while the iron is hot best suits them.
Make no mistake, after 52 games the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2017 season is far from over; and if their top man continues to fight, there may be more inspiring moments ahead.
Photo credit – Daniel Decker Photography
Josh Taylor is an award-winning sports broadcasting personality, currently hosting BUCCO TALK the Pirates’ flagship 93.7 The Fan every Saturday. Josh can also be seen on KDKA and The CW networks.
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