Andrew McCutchen gives out more batting gloves, takes on heckler with Michael Keaton
McCutchen gifts trash-talker with batting gloves
Riding high on his heartwarming moment of the year (when he gifted these Pirates fans with some batting gloves following a Pirates victory in San Diego) Andrew McCutchen was back to playing baseball Santa Claus while in Atlanta on friday night.
In a wild and high-scoring game that saw the Pirates eventually win, 10-8, McCutchen finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. That included a double in the top of the eighth inning to extend the Pirates' lead to 9-5. When the inning ended, McCutchen made sure to pass out another pair of batting gloves to the crowd.
With the amount of gloves he can just dole out, I'm starting to wonder if McCutchen has an entire room devoted just to batting gloves, at this point.
Of course, there may be a little more to this story. While the young fan was quite pleased that he ended up with one of the center fielder's batting gloves, McCutchen first passed them out to a fan who, according to some in attendance, was trash talking the Pirates star. But, after Cutch doubled, the fan could do nothing but graciously admit defeat.
Sorry #braves fans but that McCutcheon double was because the guy next to me trash-t.... http://t.co/Kyt3WvNqU4 pic.twitter.com/929tub2SBJ
- Kristen (@abba_ks) June 6, 2015
Even big-time Pirates fan -- and Batman himself -- Michael Keaton (though, really, we should call him by his best role: Mr. Multiplicity) came by to finish dispensing the necessary justice and pointing at the scoreboard for emphasis while leaving the game.
"I put him in his place," McCutchen told MLB.com's Tom Singer. "I think he was more embarrassed than anything. Then I heard Michael Keaton finished him off -- and that's pretty cool, having a guy like him in your corner."
@rtjr Michael Keaton went and said something to the Cutch trash talker before his exit. The exchange looked glorious pic.twitter.com/y5MKCjDbIo
- Ryan Fix (@FixRyan) June 6, 2015
All told, Keaton had himself quite a time at the game, snagging an A.J. Burnett autograph and snapping a pic of Cutch in the on-deck circle:
Actually, the more I think about it, Andrew McCutchen really is like Santa Claus: He knows if you've been good or bad. The only difference is you might get a sweet pair of batting gloves out of it either way.
Additional reporting by Tom Singer / MLB.com.