McCutchen celebrated his first Rangers home run by... apologizing to fans?

Andrew McCutchen knows Philadelphia fans well.

The Rangers' new designated hitter played for the Phillies from 2019 to 2021, so he anticipated the reaction from fans during this opening series against his former team. When McCutchen hit his first Rangers home run, a three-run shot in the fourth inning, a fan in the stands couldn't hold back.

“You kidding me! Cutch, are you kidding!” shouted a fan from the lower seats behind home plate. McCutchen revealed after the game that the fan was local internet personality Dave Osokow.

McCutchen shrugged apologetically toward Osokow as he jogged back to the dugout, laughing. “Sorry, sorry!” he said with a smile.

“That’s my buddy Dave O,” McCutchen said postgame. “Everyone in Philly knows Dave O. We’ve been texting. I hung out with him when I was here. He’s a die-hard Phillies fan, I met him when I first came to Philly. He was basically saying, ‘Bro, stop hurting us.’ I said, ‘Can’t do it, man.’ We had that little exchange. He’s my guy.”

McCutchen signed a minor league deal with the Rangers on March 6. After a short but powerful spring training where he posted a .429 batting average and 1.270 OPS, he earned a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day 26-man roster.

Today he went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Both hits came against Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo, who finished seventh in NL Cy Young voting last season. McCutchen also delivered the game-winning RBI single in the tenth inning yesterday in a 5–4 victory.

“We didn’t know what Cutch would bring us, right?” said manager Skip Schumaker. “He looked good in spring training, but you only really know when the season starts. He still has plenty left, and more than just a little. He’s had some key hits these past few games. Luzardo is tough, we all know he’s one of the top pitchers in the league. For Cutch to homer off him is really impressive. What he’s doing now looks fun.”