McCutchen's walk-off gets Bucs to .500

JustinVerlander35 · Jun 9, 2011

Precisely six years ago on Wednesday, the Pirates made Andrew McCutchen the top pick of the First-Year Player Draft. Three days later, the club ascended to .500 with a runaway victory over Tampa Bay.

The Pirates have never been back there since, at least not this late in the season. That all changed at 11:10 p.m. ET.

Given the timing, how fitting it was that McCutchen would be the one to bring the Pirates back to a benchmark that will define this team, until such mark is eclipsed at year's end. Swinging at a 3-2 slider from Arizona reliever Zach Kroenke, McCutchen deposited the pitch just over the left-field wall and just right of the foul pole to lift the Pirates to a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win at PNC Park.

It was the second walk-off victory that the team has celebrated in its last five games. And yes, it cemented the Pirates' record at 30-30, the same mark that the team had on June 11, 2005.

"It's a pretty resilient way of how we've gotten there," said manager Clint Hurdle, whose club has started this homestand with four wins in five games. "We're a gutty ballclub. How good we are, time will tell. Sometimes we're more stubborn than good. Sometimes we've got more guts than we've got brains. I'm proud of them. I like the way everybody is throwing something in."

Indeed, almost everyone was involved by the end of the night. Pedro Ciriaco was the lone bench player not used. Evan Meek, who was not available for the game, was alone in the bullpen. A combined 14 pitchers were used between the two teams. Each club stranded 12 baserunners.

And in a game where only five runs were scored, there were three lead changes.

"We come in every day looking to win," said Paul Maholm, who tossed six scoreless innings to begin the night. "You play all nine as hard as possible and see where you are at the end of it."

Resiliency was the theme of the night for the Pirates' 'pen, which made its few slipups inconsequential by the performances of two relievers, in particular.

First there was Tony Watson, getting the call to make his Major League debut with the tying run at second and one out in the eighth. It was a gutsy move by Hurdle, not just given the circumstances, but the matchup, too.
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McCutchen's walk-off gets Bucs to .500

JustinVerlander35 Bringin' the Heat

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McCutchen's walk-off gets Bucs to .500

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