The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t had a winning season in two decades, but few deny that they have one of the most passionate fanbases in Major League Baseball. That passion was on display in the voting for MLB 13: The Show’s cover athlete, as Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen has been announced as the video game’s representative, per its official Twitter feed:

McCutchen was chosen after a five-day voting process that began on Monday. As part of a promotional event for the game’s launch, fans had the opportunity to vote between seven different cover athletes for the game through an official page on MLB.com. 

The Pirates star beat out a field that consisted of Matt Kemp, CC Sabathia, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Ryan Braun and Miguel Cabrera. Considering the amount of consistent All-Stars and MVP candidates in the field, very few expected McCutchen to pull out the victory.

However, the voting wasn’t even close. According to the official results, McCutchen received nearly 20,000 more votes than Sabathia, who finished in second place.

For his victory, McCutchen can undoubtedly thank a drove of Pirates fans who tweeted out #MLB13Cutch over the past week. Even McCutchen himself got in the action and seemed to be relishing in the fan support:

Viewed by many as the best MLB game on the market, appearing on MLB 13: The Show’s cover is undoubtedly an honor for McCutchen and Pirates fans everywhere. The 26-year-old outfielder burst onto the scene in 2012, hitting .327 with 31 home runs, 96 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

During that time, he became a fan favorite in the Pittsburgh area and is largely seen as a face-of-the-franchise type talent. With the voting results in, it seems like video gamers across the country agree.

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