The Pirates' Bryan Reynolds (10) is congratulated after scoring on an errant throw after driving in three runs with a triple off Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Jimmy Lambert Friday at PNC Park. Reynolds had three hits and six RBI in the Bucs’ 13-9 home-opening win. Associated Ptress

Gene J. Puskar

PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen took in the moment on Friday. He fought back the tears he knew would come and settled in for his first at-bat at PNC Park with Pittsburgh in more than five years.

The veteran outfielder could see well enough to lash a single to right field, the start of a 19-hit barrage by the Pirates in a 13-9 victory over the Chicago White Sox that served as an emotional homecoming for McCutchen and — Pittsburgh hopes — a sign of things to come.

Particularly if the group McCutchen was brought in to mentor can keep taking steps forward.

“We know what we're capable of,” McCutchen said. “We've just got to keep believing in each other.”

Bryan Reynolds continued his torrid start by driving in six runs. The left fielder is now the best player on the team the way McCutchen was a decade ago. Yet he had never played in front of a crowd that large at PNC Park, many of them wearing black at McCutchen's request in a nod to the team's brief run of three straight playoff appearances from 2013-15.

“It was fun to play in front of a stadium like that,” Reynolds said. “Hopefully, we’ll keep rolling and it’ll be like that more often.”