Reusse: Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen stands alone as active position player who endured Metrodome

Andrew McCutchen had been impressive in his 21-year-old season for the Class AAA Indianapolis Indians and was ready to take over in center field for Pittsburgh in 2009.

No surprise, the Pirates held him back in the minors for a couple of months, which would prevent him from attaining “Super 2” arbitration status after the 2010 season.

This was not a strategy restricted to low-budget teams such as the Pirates. That was an era when even big spenders had a tendency to keep top young rookies-to-be down on the farm into June.

This would cause these precocious athletes to wait until after Year 3 in the big leagues to have actual negotiating power; thus, they were stuck with what management wanted to offer after Year 2.

The Pirates were in a long snooze when they drafted McCutchen at No. 11 overall in 2005 — he was not muscular at 5-10 and around 170 but was so fleet that the Miami Hurricanes wanted him as a wide receiver out of high school in Fort Meade, Fla.

Pittsburgh waited the required time, then traded veteran center fielder Nate McLouth to Atlanta for three minor leaguers on June 3, 2009. One day later, McCutchen was in the Pirates’ lineup for a series finale vs. the New York Mets at PNC Park, leading off and in center field.

McCutchen debuted with two hits, three runs scored and a stolen base in an 11-6 victory over the Mets. The Pirates then went on a road trip to Houston and Atlanta. There was a 15-inning, 7-6 loss to the Braves in which McCutchen went 4-for-7.

Pittsburgh went home for a series with Detroit, then traveled to Minneapolis for a three-game series June 16-18. And it was that series, still at the dawn of his big-league career, that made Andrew McCutchen, now 38, the last still-active position player in the big leagues to have played in our beloved Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

“Is that right?” he said. “I can’t say I remember a lot about that series.”

This was early Saturday morning, before the Twins beat the Pirates 12-4, and McCutchen was in the two-locker corner that visitors clubhouse manager Marcus McKenzie has a tendency to reserve for noble veterans here at Target Field.

It was suggested to McCutchen that there was a very good reason to remember that series.

“That’s right,” he said. “I did hit a home run off Francisco. That was my first in the big leagues.”

That came June 17, in the third inning, and gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead. The visitors won that middle game of the series 8-2.

Note: The loss continued what would be a poor season for Francisco Liriano — still fighting back from the elbow injury and surgery that prevented the Twins from winning the 2006 World Series.

The Piranhas and the two best pitchers in the American League (Johan Santana and rookie sensation Liriano) … why not claim that mythical title?

The Twins won the first and third games of that series in 2009. The Pirates finished 62-99, a 17th consecutive losing season. But in 2013, Liriano was in Pittsburgh for a rebirth, McCutchen was the National League’s MVP, PNC Park was hopping and the Pirates had started a three-year stretch in the postseason.

“Francisco pitched great for us that season, and really for three years,” McCutchen said. “He was a lot of fun as a teammate. We had some very good clubs.”

McCutchen was asked how many times, in give-and-take with Liriano, he might have mentioned that first home run under the big top in Minneapolis.

“A few … but that ballpark isn’t very memorable to me," McCutchen said. “I had been in the big leagues for two weeks then. I just wanted to play my game, no matter what ballpark we were in.”

How about our diabolical roof? “I don’t remember it being a problem,” he said. “I had no complaints.”

McCutchen already was on lists for Pirates all-time excellence when he was traded to San Francisco in January 2018. He went to the Yankees for the last month of that season, spent three seasons with the rival Phillies and then was in Milwaukee in 2022.

The Pirates brought him back in 2023. “I’m glad to be back in Pittsburgh, but I was hoping — all of us were hoping, including the fans — that we would be winning more games," he said.

Derek Shelton, the former bench coach for Rocco Baldelli with the Twins, had been the Pirates manager for five seasons. There were moments of hope, and he was all-in on bringing back McCutchen three years ago — and then this season started 12-26 and Shelton was fired in early May.

He was contacted Saturday for his thoughts on McCutchen as a player and teammate, and offered this message:

“What I can say about Andrew is that he plays hard every day — and he prepares the same, even at 38 ... years old. It is extremely impressive to watch the way he goes about his business.

“He runs out every ground ball hard. He gives you a professional hitter that controls the zone as well as anybody. He was an absolute joy to watch.”

And now, Andrew McCutchen is here for a splendid weekend for outdoor baseball as the last of the non-pitching Domers.