Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run home run, reaching the 20-homer mark for the 10th time in his career, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Miami Marlins 6-4 on Tuesday night.
The 37-year-old designated hitter smashed a fastball from Miami’s Adam Oller (1-3) with two runners on and two outs in the fifth inning, sending the ball into the left-field bleachers to give Pittsburgh a five-run lead.
McCutchen has achieved 20 home runs in eight of his seasons with Pittsburgh, which is the second-most in the team’s history behind Hall of Famer Willie Stargell.
Despite his accomplishments, McCutchen often thinks about how he might have ranked on the team’s all-time lists if he had never been traded to San Francisco in early 2018, which started a five-year journey before returning to the Pirates before the 2023 season.
“It’s nice to be able to be with those guys and those greats, it’s amazing, but it would be cool if I was here my whole career and then see where I would be at,” McCutchen said.
Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and Bryan Reynolds each had two hits for the Pirates, who have now won three games in a row.
Joey Wentz (1-2) picked up the win after giving up one run in 2 2/3 innings. Aroldis Chapman managed a shaky ninth inning to earn his eighth save, while the Pirates used six relievers behind opener Carmen Mlodzinski.
Jhonny Pereda had three hits for Miami, and Kyle Stowers added two doubles for the Marlins.
After securing a surprising wild-card spot last year at PNC Park, the Marlins are on track for their first 100-loss season since 2019.
The 29-year-old Oller, one of a record-tying 69 players the Marlins have used this season, allowed two runs in the first inning and four more in the fifth, including Reynolds’ RBI single and McCutchen’s 319th career home run.
McCutchen has hit 235 of his home runs with Pittsburgh, which is the fourth-most in team history and five behind Pirates legend Roberto Clemente. McCutchen intends to continue playing in 2025, likely in a place he considers home.
