Andrew McCutchen recorded two hits on Friday in his first home game as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2017. McCutchen, who batted third and served as the designated hitter, received a standing ovation from the PNC Park crowd prior to stepping in against Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito.
Take a look at the moment in all its moving picture glory:
McCutchen made the most of the moment, notching his first hit on a seeing-eye single that evaded second baseman Elvis Andrus on its way to right field. Alas, he was subsequently picked off to end the first inning.
In the third inning, McCutchen singled again for his second hit of the afternoon, hitting a line drive up the middle.
The Pirates celebrated McCutchen's homecoming on Friday by having a pair of his former teammates, catcher Russell Martin and right-hander A.J. Burnett, throw out the game's ceremonial first pitches:
McCutchen entered Friday hitting .267/.522/.333 (141 OPS+) in his first six games this season. He rejoined the Pirates in January on a one-year pact. He'd spent the first 10 seasons of his career at Pittsburgh before being traded to the San Francisco Giants as part of a deal that netted the Pirates Bryan Reynolds and Kyle Crick.
Reynolds, by the way, had an even bigger afternoon than McCutchen did. He continued his hot start to the year with a three-hit performance that saw him come up a double short of the cycle. Reynolds did homer and drive in six runs, however, pushing his seasonal totals to five homers and 13 RBI in seven games.
The Pirates defeated the White Sox by a 13-9 final (box score), giving them a 5-2 record on the nascent season.