Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen gets engaged on “Ellen”

Being the National League Most Valuable Player comes with its perks, although Andrew McCutchen may have invented a new benefit this week, as his 2013 keeps getting better.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ star center fielder proposed to girlfriend Maria Hanslovan on Wednesday’s episode of Ellen, a nationally-syndicated talk show. After helping host Ellen DeGeneres with her annual holiday gift-giving and some discussion about his big season with the Bucs, McCutchen cued a video he brought to honor his four-year relationship with Hanslovan, who is from DuBois, Pa.

It became rather obvious where this was going. And as you could imagine, she said yes:

McCutchen hinted at something out of the ordinary with a teaser tweet Tuesday, when the show was taped in Los Angeles.

We knew McCutchen would get more opportunities on the national stage, but who could have anticipated something like this? Congratulations to the future Mr. and Mrs. MVP.

McCutchen, 27, was named the NL’s top player by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in November. He led the Pirates to their first winning season and playoff berth since 1992, posting a .317/.404/.508 triple-slash line and providing stellar defense in center field. McCutchen is the first Bucco MVP since Barry Bonds won his second such award with the Pirates 21 years ago.