Returning to Philadelphia in a new uniform, Andrew McCutchen knew what to expect from the fans, but he probably didn’t expect to be apologizing for doing his job. In the last match of the series, McCutchen hit a line drive home run off Jesús Luzardo in the fourth inning on Sunday, his first for the Rangers. Naturally, the Philadelphia fans were not pleased. In a rare twist of events, NBC Sports Philadelphia posted a video on X, where McCutchen can be heard apologizing to a fan.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” the veteran said while looking towards the stands when he was jogging back to the dugout. McCutchen’s apology came after on-field mics picked up a fan’s frustrations from the lower bowl behind home plate very clearly. The fan was loud enough that even McCutchen heard it.

“You gotta be kidding me! Cutch, you gotta be kidding me!” the Philadelphia fan had exclaimed.

McCutchen later revealed in the postgame that the very outspoken fan was Dave Osokow. Osokow is a Phillies fan and a local celebrity influencer. Osokow had even joked with McCutchen, telling him to stop hitting against the Phillies. However, McCutchen clearly did not agree.

“That’s my guy, DaveO. Anyone from Philly knows who DaveO is,” stated McCutchen, as per MLB.com. “We were texting a little bit. We hung out while I was here. He’s a big Philly guy, so I met him when I came over to Philly. Right there, he was basically like, ‘Man, stop hurting us.’ And I said, ‘No, dude, I can’t do that.’ That was a good exchange with him. He’s one of my guys.”

Despite what DaveO wanted, the Rangers’ new DH continued hitting. He went 2-for-4, hitting a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs. The Rangers’ match-winning run also came from McCutchen’s bat.

The 39-year-old DH is coming off an electric spring that brought him up to the Rangers’ 26-man roster. The Rangers had originally signed him to a Minor League Deal on March 6. He won the roster spot over Mark Canha, another veteran outfielder on a Minor League Deal. In 9 Cactus League games, McCutchen slashed .429/.556/.714 with an OPS of 1.270.

For now, McCutchen looks like he is building on that spring performance that propelled him to the active roster.

Meanwhile, the former MVP revealed that, as he is nearing the end of his MLB career, some had even asked him to retire.

McCutchen was told to retire

Andrew McCutchen appears to have taken well to his new role as the Rangers’ designated hitter. The former All-Star who has been putting on an impressive display, has revealed that he was told to retire at one point.

“I was wrote off in a lot of places, honestly told to retire. But I knew deep down there was something in me that told me that there was still more in the tank and that I could continue to keep playing,” stated McCutchen, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

His hitting displays this season so far prove that he was indeed right not to retire. McCutchen had played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2009 to 2018, and again, returned on three consecutive one-year deals from 2023 to 2025. He reportedly wanted to return to the Pirates again this season. But it did not happen, so McCutchen feels grateful to the Rangers for putting their trust in him at a time when none did.
“For them giving me the opportunity … I’m going to make sure that it’s worth it from both of our ends,” McCutchen promised to the Rangers and their fans.

McCutchen looks forward to giving his best to the Rangers and always looks for ways to improve. He will not only be an electric bat, but he will also bring a veteran presence to the team.