Andrew McCutchen smashes leadoff homer against the Braves (Video)

On the very first pitch of Sunday Night Baseball, veteran Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen got the party started with a leadoff blast. 

Fans are expecting a fun showdown on Sunday night between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. Leave it to Andrew McCutchen to get things going with an absolute bang. That’s because he just belted a leadoff dinger.

To make things even more special here, though, McCutchen wasted absolutely zero time in leaving the yard, as his homer came on the very first pitch. There’s no question this fired up all the Phillies fans watching this highly-anticipated showdown.

Andrew McCutchen belted a leadoff homer and it was a thing of beauty

Huascar Ynoa put that pitch in a place where he really shouldn’t have. Did he expect McCutchen to just let a fastball right down the middle go by without punishment? Nope. McCutchen got just enough for that ball to climb over the center field wall. Just like that, the Phillies went up 1-0.

Since then, though, the Braves haven’t backed down and have taken a lead against Aaron Nola and Philadelphia. Early on, this contest already has the makings of what should be an entertaining one.

That’s fully expected, as the Phillies and Braves have quite the NL East rivalry going, especially with millions watching for this primetime game. Heading into Sunday’s matchup, both the Phillies and Braves are sitting in second and third, respectively, in the NL East standings behind the New York Mets.

This figures to be a three-team race for the division title throughout the year, though we can’t forget about the Miami Marlins or Nationals either. This one is going to be incredibly tight. Don’t be surprised to see McCutchen come up with more big hits for his team along the way.