"It's a special group."
A.J. Burnett was in civvies at this point. It was 12:58 a.m. Sunday, and his children, A.J. Jr. and Ashton, were somehow still scurrying at his feet several hours past bedtime.
But that wasn't the group being referenced.
"These guys ..." as the father figure of the Pirates' clubhouse in more ways than one tried to continue. "These guys have what it takes. That's what everyone just saw."
What everyone just saw was "a baseball classic," in the words of Jared Hughes.
It was "a night to remember," as Andrew McCutchen offered with uncharacteristic drama.
It was "Oh my God! Oh my God!" as Steve Blass exclaimed from the broadcast booth.
It was two teenagers, much deeper into the night/morning, sprinting back and forth on General Robinson Street while waving a Jolly Roger and shouting "LET'S GO BUCS!"
It was this ...
[caption id="attachment_21240" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Around the bases with Andrew McCutchen in the 14th inning. -- GETTY
[/caption]
It was Cutch coming through with the greatest clutch moment of his MVP career, crushing a two-run home run in the 14th inning to finally, finally drive a stake through those omnipresent Cardinals, 6-5, before the delirious remnants of the original crowd of 37,318.
"It was magic," Starling Marte would say, looking squarely across the way at Cutch buttoning up. "That moment ... that man ... it's magic."
Login
Not subscribed yet? Click below for access to all content:
