Folks, it is so good to have Andrew McCutchen back in the Phillies lineup.
He's still finding his swing, but the former NL MVP's fielding skills are as sharp as they've always been. He made that clear Saturday afternoon, in his second game back from last year's season-ending knee injury.
In the top of the seventh, with the Phillies holding a two-run lead, McCutchen broke on a deep flyball to left field from former Phillie Corey Dickerson, and tracked it down to make an absolute beauty of a sliding catch.
And then McCutchen decided the catch deserved an even better celebration.
Look at this entire glorious sequence:
Incredible.
MLB
Friday's season opener marked McCutchen's first baseball action in 417 days, an eternity for a guy who'd played at least 145 games per season since 2010. And McCutchen, decidedly in the back half of his career, only has so many more seasons left in his cleats, so it's great to see him making the most of every day out there.
Like the Sixers' Joel Embiid, McCutchen is the kind of player who's always great, and reaches a new level when he's having fun with his game.
It was clear McCutchen wanted to enter the 2020 season with his sense of humor out in front after he leaned all the way into his newfound Uncle Larry character. (Thank you, Howard Eskin.)
And then Saturday's celebration? I mean, c'mon, look at this face:
That man is having FUN.
Welcome back, Cutch. It's so good to see you doing your thing.
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