McCutchen, 27, appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Wednesday, and it was immediately clear that that reigning National League MVP had something on his mind. In a Tuesday night Twitter post, McCutchen reminded fans to tune in to “Ellen” to catch his “big announcement.”
Degeneres appeared to be in on McCutchen’s plan, coyly asking the MLB star if he was dating anyone. He quickly pointed out that his girlfriend of four years, Maria Hanslovan, was sitting in the audience, and asked the television host to play a video that documented their relationship.
In the beginning, it was definitely fun getting to know each other, staying up late, talking on the phone for four hours,” McCutchen said in the video’s voiceover. “Going into the second year, we hit some bumps in the road, but we overcame those bumps. We continue to just get stronger, and not only stronger with each other, but stronger with God.”
Next, he brought Hanslovan on stage and proposed to her with one of the most heartfelt speeches we’ve ever heard. “I always envisioned that I would be on the highest mountain in the world and that my voice would be as loud as a lion’s roar -- times a billion -- so the whole world could hear me, just to tell you how much that I love you,” McCutchen said.
“I didn’t do any of this for the publicity, I didn’t do any of this for the recognition. I did this to show you that if I could tell the whole world how much I love you, I would do that.” McCutchen then dropped to one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend. “So Maria, will you marry me?
The surprising move caused DeGeneres to audibly gasp, and elicited an immediate reaction from Hanslovan. Needless to say, she said yes. The happy couple spent the next several minutes celebrating with the audience. The entire video of McCutchen’s proposal can be viewed below, or over at For The Win.
The engagement is just the latest in a series of momentous events in McCutchen’s life. In 2013, the Pirates star led his team to its first playoff appearance in two decades. After the season, he was voted the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player.
