Last year, Andrew McCutchen missed joining the 300-home run club by just one home run, after achieving milestones like his 2,000th hit, 1,000th walk, and 400th double during the previous season.
Andrew McCutchen, a designated hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is currently at 299 home runs as they begin the season. Despite a left Achilles injury last season, he is now healthy but hesitant to talk about the impending 300-home run milestone.
McCutchen preferred not to discuss the milestone at all.
McCutchen expressed his reluctance to talk about reaching 300 home runs, remembering his experience of being stuck on 1,999 hits in the past.
Last season, six players beat McCutchen to the 300-homer mark, with notable players achieving this milestone in different games.
Despite hitting 10 home runs in the first three months, McCutchen struggled in the middle of the season with low batting averages and a 27-game homerless period. He ended this streak with a three-run shot in August.
During August, Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies hit 10 home runs, including three consecutive games for his 300th.
McCutchen hit his 12th homer of the season against Adam Wainwright, bringing his career total to 299.
McCutchen focused on making solid contact in his final games, aiming to end the season on a positive note even though he was close to reaching 300 home runs.
McCutchen emphasized the importance of finishing the season strongly, especially after facing challenges and an injury. He aimed to perform well, prioritizing a strong finish over reaching 300 home runs.
He came very close to achieving this milestone.
Despite hitting two doubles off the 2021 Cy Young Award winner, McCutchen fell short of hitting his 300th career home run against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The second hit was a hard-hit ball along the third base line that bounced off the wall. When McCutchen felt something while running to second base, trainers checked on him and he was taken out of the game.
“Being able to hit two doubles in that game against Corbin Burnes really boosts your confidence,” McCutchen said. “It felt good. Then my body didn’t cooperate. That was the pattern in 2023. When my body felt good, I played well. When it didn’t, I didn’t. That’s how it went this year …”
McCutchen’s voice faded away. After dealing with persistent right elbow, left knee, and Achilles injuries, the 37-year-old is hoping to stay healthy this season. Even Carlos Santana, who played for the Pirates before being traded to the Brewers in late July, reached the milestone before McCutchen by hitting his 300th home run on Sept. 23.
After being traded by the Pirates in January 2018, McCutchen returned last year following five seasons with four teams and received a warm welcome at PNC Park at the home opener and every at bat thereafter.
“It just made too much sense,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on MLB Network’s Hot Stove in November. “We were so lucky, really, to be able to do it. The reaction from fans, the team, himself, people that work for the team for a long time and have been there, it was just amazing. Credit to him for just how important it was to him, how genuinely he wanted to come back.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton was impressed by the effort and energy McCutchen continues to play with, calling it “unbelievable to watch” and found his charisma in the clubhouse to be contagious.
After leading the team with a .369 on-base percentage and tying for the most walks (75) while hitting 19 doubles, 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 112 games, the Pirates made it clear all offseason that they wanted McCutchen back for an encore. He signed another one-year, $5 million contract in December but has resisted calling this his final season.
First baseman Rowdy Tellez, a former teammate in Milwaukee, listed McCutchen’s career achievements during an in-game interview with SportsNet Pittsburgh on Sunday and called it “an honor to play beside him” with the Pirates.
“I would say it’s an honor to be part of an organization where he’s on their Mount Rushmore,” Tellez said. “It’s an honor to take the field with No. 22. It’s going to be really special watching him hit No. 300.”
