Andrew McCutchen draws proud reaction from wife Maria after equaling 15x All-Star Pirates legend’s HR tally

Veteran Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Andrew McCutchen is one of the most respected names in the clubhouse, and his stature as a Pirates legend grew during the game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

Andrew McCutchen got hold of Padres ace Randy Vásquez's curve ball in the third inning of Sunday's clash, dispatching it for a two-run home run. His fifth home run of the season, overturned the score to give the Padres a 2-1 lead in the game.

Apart from giving Pittsburgh the lead, McCutchen's two-run shot took him to a major career milestone as it was his 240th home run for the team, tying him with MLB icon Robert Clemente for the third most by a Pirates slugger.

McCutchen's milestone hit was celebrated by his wife Maria, who reacted to a post by MLB in her Instagram story.

"Ties the great one," Maria wrote in her story with a graphic from MLB sharing the Pirates veteran's elite company.

Andrew McCutchen's tally of 240 home runs for the Pirates is bettered by Willie Stargell (475 home runs), followed by Ralph Kine (301 home runs).

Pirates manager applauds Andrew McCutchen after milestone hit

Despite Andrew McCutchen's go-ahead homer in the third, the Pirates ended losing the game 6-4. However, manager Don Kelly was full of praise for the veteran slugger's personal milestone.

“You get chills thinking about it,” Kelly said. “That’s iconic territory. For Cutch to tie [Clemente], he’s had a heck of a career. He’s a heck of a player, and he’s having a good season for us. He’s hit some big home runs for the Pirates and did it again today.”

The loss in the series decider pushed the Pirates to a 22-38 record, firmly at the bottom of the National League Central. They will start a three-game series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash