Andrew McCutchen is the first Phillie to do this in over a decade!
More like Andrew McClutchen.
I’ll see myself out.
Wednesday’s Nationals-Phillies game was what you’d call absolutely drunk baseball. A ton of runs, massive homers, each team hitting a grand slam. Or considering Tuesday night’s drama between Joe Girardi and Max Scherzer, maybe that was the drunk baseball and this is the hangover.
Spoiler alert: the Phillies were trailing 11-10 before regaining the lead in the bottom of the 8th, only to have their closer Hector Neris give up two more runs in the top of the 9th. So yes, the Nationals beat the Phillies 13-12.
But before that happened, tied 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth, McCutchen entered the game as a pinch-hitter. He worked a 3-1 count before hitting the first pinch-hit salami of his career.
ANDREW MCCUTCHEN GRAND SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 23, 2021
It was Cutch’s first grand slam since 2017, and the first pinch-hit grand slam by a Phillie since Ty Kelly in 2017.
Andrew McCutchen first grand slam in 4 seasons 💥💥
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 23, 2021
His first pinch-hit HR!
Phils up 9-5
pic.twitter.com/NWEi9mCvmQ
Andrew McCutchen's grand slam is the first PH go-ahead grand slam by a Phillies player since Ryan Howard hit one on May 9, 2007.
— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) June 23, 2021
McCutchen, Howard and Chase Utley are the only Phillies to do that in the last 30 years.
#Phillies pinch-hit, go-ahead grand slams:
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) June 23, 2021
June 23, 2021 - Andrew McCutchen
May 9, 2007 - Ryan Howard
June 1, 2005 - Chase Utley
Sept. 2, 1983 - Ozzie Virgil
July 8, 1978 - Bake McBrite
June 3, 1978 - Davey Johnson
July 19, 1970 - Jim Hutto
Sept. 16, 1967 - Rick Joseph
According to SABR, the first Phillie to ever hit a pinch-hit grand slam was Cy Williams on April 15, 1926, off of Boston Braves pitcher Larry Benton. During the 1933 season, the Phillies gave up three pinch-hit salamis between May 14 and October 1.
This absolute bomb was the 13th home run of the season for McCutchen, bringing his RBI count up to 39. Coming into Wednesday’s game, he was slashing .225/.342/.432 with a .774 OPS on the season. But part of those low numbers is his rough start to the season; in 22 games in April, he was at .169/.301/.247 with a .548 OPS. His numbers through 16 games in June (coming into Wednesday’s game) are vastly improved: .302/.415/.660 with a 1.076 OPS.
Now in his 13th season in the Majors, there isn’t a lot the 34-year-old McCutchen hasn’t done. He’s a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, he won a Gold Glove in 2012, was the 2013 NL MVP, and won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award in 2015. He’s played on a Wild Card team with the Pirates and went to the ALDS with the Yankees.
It’s pretty great that after such a long and impressive career, Cutch still gets to check new things off the MLB bucket list.