Pirates' Andrew McCutchen Responds to Pat McAfee Snub
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen has served as one of the premier athletes in the city this century, but was missing from a recent special event.
Pat McAfee hosted his "Big Night Aht" at PPG Paints Arena to a crowd of 12,508 people, who watched him put on a variety show television, as he discussed growing up in Pittsburgh, speaking on playing sports and also the sports in the city.
The WWE announcer and ESPN commentator, who hosts " The Pat McAfee Show", brought along a number of guests, including Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes plus rappers in Wiz Khalifa, also a Pittsburgh native, and Snoop Dogg as well as comedian Shane Gillis.
Along with Skenes, he also brought on former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, plus Pittsburgh Penguins legends in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Fans wondered where McCutchen, who helped the Pirates reach their greatest success this century, was not there.
McCutchen responded to a fan on Twitter, saying that he "Didn't get invited," to the event, which is why he didn't attend it.
Didn’t get invited https://t.co/QctM5Qimn7
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) April 10, 2025
This serves as McCutchen's 12th season with the Pirates. He has played in 10 games so far, hitting .267/.333/.433 for an OPS of .767 with eight hits, one home run, two doubles, eight RBIs and three walks to seven strikeouts.
McCutchen served mostly as a designated hitter last season, playing in 120 games with 104 hits, 18 doubles, 20 home runs and 50 RBIs while slashing .232/.328/.411 at 38-years-old for the Pirates.
The Pirates selected McCutchen with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft out of Fort Meade High School in Fort Meade, Fla. They convinced him to forgo his commitment to Florida, offering him a $1.9 million signing bonus.
McCutchen made his MLB debut in June 2009 and had a great rookie campaign, slashing .286/.365/.471, while adding 124 hits, 26 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs, 54 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and 54 walks to 83 strikeouts. He finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
His continued to improve over the coming years, with five consecutive All-Star appearances for the NL from 2011-15, four consecutive Silver Slugger Awards from 2012-15 and a Gold Glove Award in 2012.
McCutchen won the NL MVP in 2013, as he slashed .317/.404/.508 with 185 hits, 38 doubles, five triples, 21 home runs 84 RBIs, 27 steals and 78 walks to 101 strikeouts. He also helped the Pirates end a streak of 20-consecutive losing seasons and make the playoffs that year for the first time since 1992.
The Pirates traded McCutchen after the 2017 season to the San Francisco Giants. He spent part of the 2018 season there before they traded him to the New York Yankees.
He signed a three-year, $50 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that offseason, keeping him there through the 2021 season. He also played the 2022 season for the Milwaukee Brewers.
McCutchen re-signed with the Pirates on a one-year, $5 million contract before the 2023 season. He would do the same prior to the 2024 season and again for this season, marking his 11th with the franchise.
He has played in 1,588 games, made 1,675 hits, 331 doubles, 236 home runs, 45 triples, 823 RBI, 185 stolen bases and 821 walks, while slashing .284/.375/.475 with Pittsburgh.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.