Top 3 Pittsburgh Pirates Moments Of The Decade

PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 31: Former Pirate MVPs Dick Groat and Barry Bonds stand with 2013 National League MVP Andrew McCutchen #22 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during Opening Day at PNC Park on March 31, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The decade has come to a close, and it was a busy one for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Let’s look at the top three most memorable moments from the last ten years.

Was it a great decade for our beloved Pittsburgh Pirates? Not really. But it certainly was better than the previous decade where the Pirates had 10 straight seasons of sub-500 baseball.

The 2010s saw three playoff births for the Pirates and four years of winning baseball (2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018). The 2010s also brought some incredible players to the city of Pittsburgh, including Andrew McCutchen, who will be remembered among the Pirate greats. McCutchen is the kind of player that will be enshrined by Pittsburgh just like Roberto Clemente or Willie Stargell. Those players don’t come around every year….or even every ten years for that matter.

With that said, let’s dive into the top moment of the 2010s for the Pirates.

Moment #3 – Andrew McCutchen’s 2013 Season

As mentioned above, McCutchen was a really special player for the city of Pittsburgh. But, it wasn’t just yinzers who thought Cutch was great – in 2013 he would win the National League Most Valuable Player award. It would be the first time since 1992 that the Pirates would win the award or have a serious contender to win the award. Only 5 other Pirates have won the NL MVP award going back to 1927: Barry Bonds, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Dick Groat, and Paul Waner. What a list to be on.

McCutchen was truly incredible in 2013, slashing .317/.404/.508/.911 with 25 home runs and 18 stolen bases. And this was 25 home runs before everyone was hitting 25 home runs. More importantly than his stat line though, is what McCutchen meant to the Pirates and to the city.

McCutchen won the MVP award that year because he truly encompassed the meaning of the award. He was without any doubt, the most valuable player to the team and the entire city of Pittsburgh. Without McCutchen, there is absolutely no way the Pirates break their streak of playoff-less seasons. The city of Pittsburgh finally had a player and a baseball team to be proud of again.

The decade has come to a close, and it was a busy one for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Let’s look at the top three most memorable moments from the last ten years.

Moment #3 – Andrew McCutchen’s 2013 Season

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