Pittsburgh Pirates: Takeaways From Home Opening Series Victory Against the White Sox

Andrew McCutchen and Pittsburgh still love each other

This comes as no surprise whatsoever, but there is no denying the love that still exists between Andrew McCutchen and the city of Pittsburgh. Once again serving as a reminder that in sports certain players are never meant to play for more than one team.

During Friday's pre-game ceremonies, no one even came close to receiving the ovation that McCutchen did. When he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat speed up rules were thrown out the window as he received a long, loud ovation from the crowd that included "MVP" chants. Cutch took his helmet off, tipped it to the crowd, patted his chest, and was clearly emotional.

After Cutch singled in his first trip back to the plate at PNC Park as a Pirate the crowd erupted as "22" by Taylor Swift blasted over the loudspeakers and Cutch tipped his helmet to the crowd while standing at first base.

Following the game Cutch talked about his love for Pittsburgh and the Pirates. Friday's game was the start of a big series for the 2013 NL MVP who went 5-for-10 with a double, a home run, a stole base, and two RBI in the series.

Cutch is a Pirate through and through. He loves Pittsburgh, his family is from and loves Pittsburgh. The city loves him back even more than he loves the city. Hopefully his strong play continues throughout the season, and, hopefully, 2023 will not be it for McCutchen in the black and gold.