Pat McAfee’s Big Night Aht event in Pittsburgh was a celebration of himself but also of the Steel City and its icons.
At the end of the evening, McAfee capped things by bringing out some of the biggest names in Pittsburgh sports, including longtime Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, various Pittsburgh Penguins, including Sidney Crosby, and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes.
One Pittsburgh sports icon who didn’t attend the event was Andrew McCutchen. The Pirates outfielder spent nine seasons with the franchise during his initial run and is currently three years into his second stint with the club. Any event honoring the history of Pittsburgh sports simply doesn’t seem complete without including someone like McCutchen, who won an NL MVP in 2013 and is among the top ten in just about every team hitting category.
One fan reached out to McCutchen on X to inquire why he wasn’t at the Big Night Aht, and the Pirates star said he wasn’t invited.
Didn’t get invited https://t.co/QctM5Qimn7
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) April 10, 2025
That didn’t sit well with some Pirates, and word seemingly got back to McAfee. The former NFL punter and College GameDay analyst offered a response late Friday evening, though it seems like he might have misunderstood the context.
“What’s up @TheCutch22? There was an entire suite given, by me, to the Pirates for their players to use at Big Night AHT.. I thought that was the right play. Think it was for the guys that asked to go? Would’ve loved to have you there… NEXT TIME hopefully,” wrote Pat McAfee.
What’s up @TheCUTCH22?
There was an entire suite given, by me, to the Pirates for their players to use at Big Night AHT.. I thought that was the right play.
I think it was for the guys that asked to go?
Would’ve loved to have you there… NEXT TIME hopefully pic.twitter.com/gYEGgrWhCY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 12, 2025
McAfee seemed to think McCutchen wanted to attend the event as a spectator, but it seems clear that the expectation was for him to join Skenes, who has only been with the team for two seasons, and the other Pittsburgh sports luminaries on the stage.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.