Pirates icon Andrew McCutchen gets honest about facing star-studded Dodgers

Pittsburgh Pirates legend Andrew McCutchen signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the team on Dec. 23 to remain in Steel City. The multiple-time All-Star is set to play in his 18th MLB season and his 12th as a Pirate. McCutchen currently sits ninth among all active MLB players with the most home runs with 319.

In the freshly concluded PiratesFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Saturday, the soon-to-be Pirates Hall of Famer spent time answering questions from fans and the media. When asked what it takes to prepare for the juggernaut LA Dodgers, the former National League MVP had a biblical reply.

"It's a David versus Goliath type of thing when you're facing a team like that," McCutchen said (0:01 onwards). "But David did beat Goliath if I'm not mistaken, so we just have to be like David."

Andrew McCutchen cited the famous story in the Bible when a shepherd named David, equipped with just a sling and a stone, toppled the giant Goliath in combat.

"We literally can't outslug them," McCutchen said. "But if we do the fundamental things right [as baseball is such a fundamentally sound game], a lot of times, we'll put ourselves in a position to win the game. There will be times that we would get flat out beaten, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"However, there are still those instances where we would have a chance to win the game by getting a bunt down, getting a guy with less than two outs in third base, or by making routine plays. With all those things taken into account, you put yourselves in a winning position."

Andrew McCutchen's career against the Dodgers

In the same interview, Andrew McCutchen claimed that the Pirates played well against the LA Dodgers. There is credence to this remark, as the Bucs have actually managed to win 10 out of the 25 meetings against the juggernaut Dodgers since the 2020s began.

As for McCutchen, he has been a prolific force and has been a thorn in the Dodgers' side since they first tussled in 2009. The All-Star outfielder has a .247 batting average with 19 home runs and 49 RBIs on 93 base hits and 59 runs scored in 99 career games against the West Coast outfit.