Patience and professionalism of Andrew McCutchen on display during chase for 2,000 hits

In navigating the final stages on the road to 2,000 career hits, which culminated with a first-inning single in Sunday’s 2-1 win over the N.Y. Mets at PNC Park, Andrew McCutchen personified patience.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates kicked off their nine-game homestand June 2 against St. Louis, McCutchen sat at 1,995 hits.

By the end of the night, he had 1,997, but, from there, getting those three remaining hits became elusive.

He got one against Oakland on June 7 and one more two days later against the Mets, his 1,999th. But then he went 0 for 3 on Saturday against New York, giving him one more home game before the Pirates began a six-game road trip.

That his opportunities to reach the milestone in front of a home crowd were running out fast was not lost on McCutchen, who, leading off for the Pirates, took care of business in the bottom of the first inning to the applause of 26,770 fans.

“You feel it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t,” McCutchen said of the pressure. “The toughest thing about this sport is you’re at the mercy of someone else to help you accomplish something you want to accomplish. You got a guy throwing a baseball, and you got people trying to defend it. You also have an umpire behind the plate. Things have to work out right for you for it to happen.

“ … I was happy I was able to get it out of the way in the first at-bat today.”

This moment is everything ???? pic.twitter.com/53yrnjJNwt

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 11, 2023

While hits proved harder to come by over the last week-plus, getting on base has been another story.

McCutchen’s 38 walks lead the Pirates and are 10th most across MLB.

Having drawn a walk Sunday, McCutchen has 11 in June, the most in baseball.

McCutchen has 239 plate appearances this season, producing a 15.9% walk rate, which ranks eighth across MLB.

As of Sunday night, McCutchen’s .381 on-base percentage is best on the Pirates, with his OPS of .804 ranking fourth.

The Pirates’ younger hitters are taking note.

“I think watching him go about his work and go about his at-bats in the game is a lesson to be learned within itself,” outfielder Jack Suwinski said.

No better moment exemplified McCutchen’s composure at the plate than in the sixth inning of the Pirates’ June 5 win over Oakland.

With the bases loaded, McCutchen faced a 3-2 count and managed to lay off a 102 mph fastball from A’s reliever Shintaro Fujinami that barely missed the lower-left corner of the strike zone. That gave McCutchen an RBI walk.

June 5, 2023 vs. Shintaro Fujinami
RBI pic.twitter.com/gXDLEltbLY

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) June 6, 2023

McCutchen walked three times that evening and also collected the winning RBI on an eighth-inning sacrifice fly, elevating the Pirates to a 5-4 victory.

In the eyes of his teammates and coaches, McCutchen has not looked the part of a player desperate to achieve an individual milestone.

“When you see someone of his caliber of player that’s chasing a milestone and stay(ing) consistent with their approach 100%, there’s no better model for young players than watching a veteran player handle himself like that,” manager Derek Shelton said.

That McCutchen handled his chase for 2,000 with professionalism and a group-first mentality has been endearing.

“He knew it was going to come, so he was just going out there playing the same game of baseball that he knows how to play,” third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes said. “Really, it’s a testament to him putting the team first because he knew it was going to come at some point. He’s just taking it at-bat to at-bat as he normally would.”