Andrew McCutchen’s milestone moment cements his status as Pirates royalty

Pittsburgh Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen made history Sunday against the San Diego Padres, hitting his 240th career home run as a Pirate to tie franchise icon Roberto Clemente for third place on the club's all-time home run list.

In the top of the third inning, McCutchen drove an 81 mph curveball from Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez 365 feet into the left field seats at Petco Park with an exit velocity of 104.7 mph. The two-run blast, his fifth homer of the season, also scored Oneil Cruz and gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead – one that would later be squandered by the Pittsburgh bullpen in a 6-4 loss.

A five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and the 2013 National League MVP, McCutchen was a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) by the Pirates in 2005 and spent his first nine MLB seasons (2009-2017) with Pittsburgh. He helped lead the club to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2013-15 before being dealt to the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 trade that landed outfielder Bryan Reynolds in Pittsburgh.

After spending the next five seasons playing for the Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, McCutchen returned to Pittsburgh as a free agent in 2023. He has since signed a pair of identical one-year, $5 million contracts to remain with the club in each of the last two seasons, building upon his living legend status by becoming one of the Pirates' most productive hitters in his age-37 and age-38 seasons.

Andrew McCutchen’s milestone home run ties Roberto Clemente, cementing his status as Pirates royalty

McCutchen's latest accomplishment with the Pirates puts him in rarefied air among some of the franchise's all-time greats, including the man he tied for third on the all-time home runs list.

A 15-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and 1966 NL MVP, Clemente spent his entire 18-year career (1955-1972) with the Pirates. His life was tragically cut short in a 1972 plane crash while he was delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, and he remains one of the most revered figures in baseball history.

McCutchen and Clemente trail only Ralph Kiner (301) and Willie Stargell (475) for the most homers all-time by a Pirate. McCutchen will almost certainly pass Clemente for sole possession of the No. 3 spot before he calls it a career, further adding to his illustrious legacy in Pittsburgh.

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