On Brink of Milestone, a Look Back at McCutchen’s Memorable Home Runs

With his two-run home run on Tuesday night off of St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright, Andrew McCutchen now has 299 career home runs.

McCutchen is looking to become the 12th active player to record 300 career home runs in their career. 215 of his round-trippers have come with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which is the fourth-most on the franchise’s all-time list.

With 299 home runs, there are certainly a few that stand out. Here are a few of McCutchen’s most memorable blasts.

June 17, 2009: Home Run No. 1

McCutchen hit his first-career home run against the Twins in Minnesota off of eventual teammate Francisco Liriano in what was his 13th-career game.

His two-run shot in the third inning broke a scoreless tie, and the Pirates went on to win the game 8-2. Batting leadoff, McCutchen finished the game 2 for 5.

August 25, 2009: First-Career Walk-Off

In a 4-4 game in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, McCutchen homered off of Brad Lidge to send the Pirates home winners.

In the Pirates’ 6-4 win, McCutchen finished 2 for 4 with a walk.

September 3, 2013: Home Run No. 100

Four years after hitting his first home run McCutchen reached triple-digits with a home run off of Yovani Gallardo in the top of the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The home run proved to be a big one as the Pirates edged out a 4-3 win over the Brew Crew. McCutchen went 2 for 4 with a walk and three runs scored.

September 10, 2014: Showcasing Speed for Inside-the-Parker

McCutchen’s wheels have always a big part of his game. He showed off his speed with the first and only inside-the-park home run of his career against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

The Pirates went on to win 6-3 and McCutchen was on base three times.

July 11, 2015: Walk-Off Home Run in Epic Game

In one of the more memorable games in PNC Park’s history, McCutchen played the role of hero. His two-run home run in the bottom the 14th lifted the Pirates to a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The back-and-forth game, which took over five hours to complete, was perhaps the biggest win of the Pirates’ 98 victories that season.

May 29, 2017: Memorial Day Walk-Off

On Memorial Day in 2017, McCutchen sent Pirates’ fans home happy with an opposite-field, walk-off home run off of Archie Bradley and the Arizona D-backs.

September 19, 2017: Home Run No. 200

Almost exactly four years after hitting his 100th home run, McCutchen notched No. 200. Like No. 100, that one too came against the Brewers in Milwaukee in the top of the first. He hit it off of right-hander Chase Anderson.

The Pirates were defeated 8-2 by the Brewers that night, and the home run was the lone hit in five at-bats for McCutchen that game.

September 26, 2017: Finally, Cutch’s First Grand Slam

The 202nd home run of McCutchen’s career proved to be an even bigger sigh of relief than usual. Off of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman, McCutchen connected on his first-career grand slam into the seats in right-center.

The game proved to be one of the biggest of McCutchen’s career. He finished the game with four hits and eight RBIs in the Pirates’ 10-1 rout of the Orioles.

April 8, 2023: First Home Run Back in Black (And Gold)

After four years away from the Pirates, McCutchen hit his first home run back with his original club on Apr. 8 of this season.

The home run against the Chicago White Sox didn’t mean much game-wise, as the Pirates were down 11-4 in the ninth when it happened, but it surely meant a lot to McCutchen and the 21,162 fans in attendance.