When the video tribute began, Andrew McCutchen stepped out of the on-deck circle, walked behind home-plate umpire Chris Segal and past the batter's box as the 34,720 fans at PNC Park applauded the return of the former face of the Pirates.

McCutchen took off his batting helmet and nodded in appreciation. First, he gave a long look at the Pirates' dugout, as former coaches and teammates applauded. Then, he turned and looked around his former ballpark. It was a celebration of his nine years with the franchise, and it continued throughout Friday night.

"It's something to remember, for sure,' McCutchen would say afterward, "I did my best to soak it in."

McCutchen, traded to the Giants in January, received a similar ovation when he trotted out to right field for the first time, and as he stepped to the plate for each of his five at-bats, including his one-out double in the seventh inning. However, fans who flocked to the North Shore for his long-awaited return also witnessed how the Pirates have succeeded without him.

The Pirates, backed by 15 hits, including four home runs, defeated McCutchen's Giants, 11-2, to win the first game of this series, and make an emphatic statement on a night that will be remembered by all involved.

"It was the best of both worlds, to be honest with you," Jordy Mercer said afterward. "Obviously we want to win the game, but we know what he’s done for this city and what he’s done for this organization and basically, in this clubhouse. So, we definitely wanted him to have his time multiple times. Whatever he wanted. We wanted to let him know everybody appreciated him, but we wanted to win the game too, as well. I think it was a good mix."

TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS, VIDEO

McCutchen, back at PNC Park for the first time since leaving the organization that drafted him 11th overall in 2005, greeted former teammates before batting practice and leading up to first pitch. With fans chanting his name, McCutchen ran out to second base moments before the national anthem to hug Mercer and Josh Bell.

He then signed autographs before stepping into the first-base dugout to prepare for his moment. Once Gregor Blanco flied out to lead off the game, McCutchen, batting second and playing right field, took his slow walk to home plate. The highlight video showed his first major-league hit, the Pirates' clubhouse celebration upon clinching a playoff spot in 2013 and receiving his National League MVP trophy.

"I'm humbled by it," McCutchen said.

Francisco Cervelli stood in front of home plate to give the fans time to celebrate McCutchen's return and Jameson Taillon looked around the ballpark to witness a moment he described as "cooler than my debut."

"It was special," Bell said. "I can probably still feel the goosebumps. The announcement, the ovation for what felt like an hour. It was eerie. That’s only in the big leagues, only after MVP seasons, only after All-Stars, playoffs."

Taillon, making his eighth start of the season, then struck out McCutchen looking with a curveball on the outer edge, provoking boos from the crowd. The Pirates struck first with a two-run homer from Starling Marte, the man tasked with replacing McCutchen in center field, for a 2-0 lead.

Taillon then struck out McCutchen again in the third inning before the Pirates' starter left the game with a finger laceration. The Giants tied it with two runs off Steven Brault in the third inning; however, an offense that lost its best player from last season responded with one of its best performances of the season.

Jordy Mercer drove in a run with a triple and Jose Osuna, pinch-hitting for Brault, hit a two-run homer to give the Pirates a 5-2 lead. They added another run in the sixth on an RBI double from Colin Moran. Then, Bell hit a two-seam fastball from Jose Valdez 432 feet to center field for a two-run homer in the seventh:

After McCutchen stranded the bases loaded in the eighth, Max Moroff, starting in place of Adam Frazier at second base, added a three-run homer for the nine-run lead.

"Both sides of the ball," Bell said, grinning. "Crushing the game. Playing the game the right way. Having long at-bats, capitalizing on mistakes. It’s fun baseball for sure."

Following Brault's two runs allowed, Kyle CrickEdgar SantanaMichael FelizGeorge Kontos and Richard Rodriguez each pitched a scoreless inning to close out the win. The Pirates, now 22-16 and 1/2 game back of the first-place Cardinals, have a four-game winning streak for the third time this season.

The Giants, meanwhile, are 19-20 and have struck out 69 times over their past five games. Their star-studded lineup ranks third in the majors in strikeouts. On the other hand, the Pirates rank among the top three in the National League in batting average, runs, hits, home runs and OPS.

"The power is coming from a lot of different places," Clint Hurdle said. We have 11 RBIs tonight, all of them from extra-base hits. I don't think we've had that conversation many times in the last year."

Taillon, one of three young starting pitchers who experienced growing pains during McCutchen's final season in Pittsburgh, struck out five batters in three innings. Marte and Mercer had three hits with two runs, and the Pirates' seven through nine hitters went a combined 7 for 10 with four RBIs.

The Giants had nine hits, including two from Buster Posey, but they went 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position. They stranded McCutchen at second base after he recorded his first hit at his old ballpark:

The Pirates' performance was similar to many the team had during McCutchen's time in Pittsburgh. He spoke before the game about his part in helping revive the city's baseball club, and his former teammates credited him with helping establish the culture that has helped to produce one of the majors' surprise teams through the first six weeks of the season.

Despite the hot start, the Pirates' average home attendance before Friday night was only 12,916, and Mercer acknowledged it was the return of the former National League MVP that had so many people in the seats for this win.

However, the hope within the home clubhouse is the celebration of McCutchen can provide his former team with an opportunity to prove to the fanbase that they can still succeed without him.

"When they were here seeing him, we wanted to show them we’re a force to be reckoned with and we’re a good team, too," Mercer said. "I think we did that tonight and hopefully they’ll come back for more."

1. With Taillon out, bullpen holds lead.

There seemed to be little concern over Taillon's lacerated finger and his removal was nothing more than a precaution. He was pitching well, too. His two strikeouts against McCutchen were some of Taillon's best pitch sequences in over a month. The 26-year old needed 21 pitches to get through the third inning, and he allowed only one hit before being removed.

Taillon also threw 32 of his 51 pitches for strikes, getting a pair of strikeouts in the third after allowing an infield single. It was the second time in three games a Pirates starter failed to reach the fourth inning, and it was another impressive performance by the Pirates' bullpen.

They weren't perfect by any means. Santana allowed back-to-back singles before getting three consecutive outs.

The Giants loaded the bases in the eighth against Kontos with a hit-by-pitch, an error and a single. Kontos, though, got McCutchen to ground out to end the inning. The Pirates' bullpen entered the game with the fifth-lowest ERA in the majors since April 12, allowing 25 earned runs in 83 innings with 100 strikeouts to 28 walks.

"That’s huge. The more people you run out there — as a starting pitcher, I always think if I can just shorten the gap to the end it just gives us a better chance," Taillon said. "The more people you run out there, I always think — this might be pessimistic — but the more chances you have for someone to have an off-night. … Tonight everyone looked good."

2. Osuna shouldn't return to Indy. 

Osuna has earned a permanent spot on the Pirates' 25-man roster. Sure, there are questions about his defense at third base and right field, but the 25-year-old can play three positions and provides a power threat off the bench. That's one attribute the Pirates have lacked. The Pirates' pinch-hitters had only six hits in 42 at-bats entering the game, despite having David Freese and Sean Rodriguez on the bench.

He struggled in a bench role last season, batting only .233 with a .697 OPS in 227 plate appearances. That experience is starting to pay dividends, though. Osuna fell behind 1-2 to Suarez. He then fouled off a changeup low and out of the zone before hitting a 92-mph fastball over the wall in left.

Osuna was 6 for 50 with one home run and a .354 OPS as a pinch-hitter last season. He now has two home runs in 11 at-bats with the Pirates this season, driving in six runs with two strikeouts. He was named the International League Player of the Month for April and led the International League in batting average at the time of his callup Tuesday.

There's nothing more for him to prove in the minors, and he's already proven to be useful in the major leagues.

"This year I tried to change my plan, change my routine when I pinch-hit," Osuna said. "Now I feel a little more confident. I did that for the first time last year. I tried to do something different to have better results."

3. Hurdle was right ... again. 

I questioned Hurdle's decision to sit Corey Dickerson for this game. After all, Dickerson is batting .375 against lefties this season, and he's the Pirates' leader in both batting average and RBIs. He's gone 7 for 14 in his last three games and is batting .354 over his last 17 games.

Hurdle even went out of his way to credit Dickerson for the Pirates' ability to succeed without McCutchen.

"Dickerson’s energy has definitely helped," Hurdle said before Friday's game. "It’s contagious."

Yet, Hurdle chose to start Rodriguez in left field with Moroff at second base. Rodriguez entered the game with four hits in 10 at-bats against lefties this season; however, he's batting only .160 since returning from shoulder surgery last July and was in a 2-for-28 slump.

Meanwhile, Moroff had five hits in 24 at-bats entering the day. Well, it proved to be a smart decision. Rodriguez went 2 for 4 and scored twice. Moroff also went 2 for 4, hitting a three-run homer off Tony Watson in the eighth.

Hurdle has been right more often than not over the past six weeks. He's sat players at the right time and has known when to turn to his bullpen. He deserves credit for what the Pirates have accomplished thus far.

"It seemed like every move we made tonight ended up working out and Brault got a win," Taillon said. "Good for us. Good for him."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY

Pirates vs. Giants, PNC Park, May 11, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

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