Andrew McCutchen Learns Fans In Pittsburgh And Philadelphia Love Him After Hitting His 300th Career HR

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen made history in Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies in one of the coolest ways possible.

It was the top of the ninth inning, and McCutchen’s Pirates were winning 7-2 when he stepped up to bat. At this late in the game, there wasn't likely going to be anything super noteworthy happening.

But the center fielder changed that when he nuked a ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run. In the process, he hit his 300th career dinger, and made darn sure the Phillies wouldn’t come anywhere close to putting that lead in danger.

With that one swing, McCutchen became the 26th player in MLB history with 300 home runs and 200 stolen bases. 

Not only did he etch himself into the record books, it was also a bit of a full-circle moment for him in his career. 

McCutchen spent his first nine years in the majors with Pittsburgh, as well as the past two (during which he tallied 215 dingers). Before starting his second stint in the Steel City in 2023, he spent three seasons with Philadelphia (where he hit 47 of his home runs), which is why fans actually cheered for him after the monumental hit.

That was not lost on McCutchen after the game, who noted how it's not often that any player is appreciated in the Keystone State’s two MLB cities. He also mentioned that he regretted not playing as well as he would have liked for the Phillies fans.

McCutchen flips his bat after hitting his 300th career home run. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

"It's kind of hard to be liked on both sides of the state," he said. "It's nice. I got a pretty good ovation from the fans. ... They show a lot of appreciation for the three short years I was here and I appreciate that because I was a guy making $20 million and one year I wasn't holding my end of the bargain and I felt like I should have done better."

It's not often you hear players wishing they could have done better for their franchises. That's the sign of a class act.

If he so chooses, McCutchen can take any lingering regret and use it to make sure that his second stint with Pittsburgh is a much more memorable time. I’m sure Pirates fans everywhere would appreciate that.