World Series title, not accolades, drives Cutch

DENVER — For Andrew McCutchen, the accolades and the accomplishments are nice.

They, however, are not fulfilling.

Oh, he can cherish the moment of a Tuesday night when he joined Hall of Famers Willie Stargell, Ralph Kiner and Roberto Clemente as the only Pirates to have multiple three-homer games, particularly when it was a key part of a 9-4 victory against the Rockies at Coors Field.

It is, he admits, “awesome to hit one home run. Hitting three is really cool.”

That, however, is like every other moment of every other day of the season. It is a part of “the process.” The process isn’t about what McCutchen or his teammates do individually. The process is about the team’s success, regardless of what any particular individual does.

“I don’t think there is any doubt he is as tied to bring a world championship to Pittsburgh as much as anybody in this organization,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “He’s the one who puts the blood and sweat into every day. He is the one who has made the commitments. He wants to be the guy.”

McCutchen is only 29, but he is the face of this franchise. He has been on the roster longer than anybody else. He debuted in 2009, enduring the final four years of the two decades of losing seasons, and has been a part of postseason appearances each of the past three years.

He was, after all, the NL Most Valuable Player in 2013, and has been a top five finisher in the NL MVP voting each of the past four years. He has been an All-Star each of the last five. He has won four Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove.

He, …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com