Pete Crow-Armstrong is having the kind of season that puts a player squarely in the spotlight. But this week, the Cubs center fielder found himself tied to a very different headline - one involving Hayden Panettiere, who died Sunday at 36.
The connection runs back to Crow-Armstrong’s childhood in Southern California, where he grew up in a family rooted in acting. His mother, Ashley Crow, appeared in films like ‘Minority Report’ and the 1994 baseball movie ‘Little Big League.’ His father, Matthew John Armstrong, has credits that include ‘Turks’ and ‘American Horror Story.’
That Hollywood backdrop is what linked the young Crow-Armstrong to Panettiere. Ashley Crow played Sandra Bennet on NBC’s ‘Heroes,’ the adoptive mother of Panettiere’s Claire Bennet, and the two shared 41 episodes on the show. According to Crow-Armstrong, that on-screen relationship carried over into his own life in a small but memorable way: Panettiere once babysat him when he was a kid.
“Hayden Panettiere babysat me. I had the biggest crush on her,” Crow-Armstrong told NBC Chicago’s Gordon Wittenmyer in a 2022 interview, according to The Big Lead.
He also remembered being around the show’s cast and enjoying that environment as a child. “I liked being around the older actors, and I liked being babysat by my mom’s co-stars and whatnot,” he said. “I’d say she was probably the coolest one for me.”
Crow-Armstrong has said his parents tried to keep his upbringing centered on sports instead of the entertainment world, and that path has clearly taken hold. At 24, he’s now a two-time All-Star and a legitimate NL MVP contender, putting together one of baseball’s most complete seasons.
His name has even popped up in stranger places before, including a viral podcast appearance where he floated a wild theory about whether Babe Ruth ever actually existed.
Panettiere was found unresponsive Sunday afternoon in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, according to authorities. Her death prompted tributes from across Hollywood, including from former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, the father of her daughter, Kaya.
“Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief,” Klitschko wrote. “Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.”
Crow-Armstrong has not commented publicly on Panettiere’s death, but his old remarks have resurfaced as people reflect on the connections she made during her career, both on screen and off.
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Crow-Armstrong has not publicly commented on Panettieres death, but the story has brought his previous remarks about her back into view. It is the kind of off-field detail that briefly pulls a player out of the baseball frame and into a much more personal one, especially when the connection comes with a sad ending. For Cubs fans, it is another reminder that some of the most familiar faces in the sport still carry histories that stretch far beyond the diamond. [Read more 🡒]