McCutchen Not A Fan Of Current Wild Card Format
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - Andrew McCutchen stood at his locker at Pirate City in Bradenton, Florida, donning a shirt logoed with a "Retire 21" statement. It was placed in his locker a few weeks ago and he has enjoyed wearing it since.
McCutchen was peppered with questions by local and national media outlets for nearly 15 minutes on Monday, the eve of the first "official" workout of Spring Training 2016.
Like Clemente who played his entire career in Pittsburgh, McCuthen reiterated that he'd like to finish his career as a Pirates outfielder and that money doesn't define him. However, he said that he's not thinking about those things at this time (his contract expires after its option in 2018).
McCutchen did cover a number of topics, including that he would like to see Major League Baseball change its postseason structure regarding the one-game Wild Card Playoff. For the last two seasons, the Pirates have been on the losing end, falling to the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, respectively.
"I'd be for it if they did it. It gives both teams a little bit better of an opportunity to win," McCutchen said. "Baseball is built for a series. You don't ever see anywhere, in the game of baseball, 30 teams play a team one time. It doesn't happen. I believe the reasoning behind that is because the game is so unpredictable. That's why we play more than one game because any team can win that day."
While McCutchen did say that he's over the Wild Card loss, he did say that it stung for a good month after the season. "Watching the games, it stings, knowing you could've been there if you won…but you have to move on," he said.
He also re-emphasized that winning the division title takes the worry away from a Wild Card matchup.
Listen to McCutchen's entire meeting with the media below.
