Pete Crow-Armstrong didn’t just keep rolling Wednesday night. He carved out another line in Cubs history.
The Chicago center fielder launched his 43rd home run of the season in the series finale against the Atlanta Braves, moving past Billy Williams for the most homers in a single season by a left-handed hitter in franchise history. Then he wasn’t done. Crow-Armstrong added No. 44 in the seventh inning, putting himself one behind Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead.
By the end of the night, PCA had reached base four times in the Cubs’ 8-4 win. He went 3-for-4 with two homers, a triple and a leadoff walk to start the game. His third-inning blast broke a record that had stood since 1970, when Hall of Famer Billy Williams hit 42 for the Cubs.
The numbers keep stacking up fast. Crow-Armstrong is now at 10.4 fWAR through 153 games, and he is three stolen bases shy of becoming the seventh 40/40 player in MLB history. Add in the defense, and the case only gets louder: he’s expected to win another Gold Glove in center field and is also likely to take home the Platinum Glove as the best overall defender in the league.
The MVP conversation, at least in the National League, sounds finished. The source of the debate has faded, with Shohei Ohtani slumping for a few weeks before the Los Angeles Dodgers put him on the injured list last Friday. The claim here is blunt: no one else is in PCA’s class, and he “100% deserves to be the unanimous MVP.”
That kind of season can start to feel unreal, but the age makes it even more striking. Crow-Armstrong will celebrate his 25th birthday next March.
For the Cubs, the message is simple: don’t take him for granted. They may be watching the best player of their lifetime.
In Other News...
Jacob Webb Has Become A Cubs Bullpen Problem Craig Counsell Can't Ignore
Jacob Webbs recent stretch has turned into a real concern for Craig Counsell at a time when the Cubs can least afford another bullpen leak. The right-hander has been tagged for multiple home runs in recent appearances and has stumbled in the kinds of high-leverage spots that tend to define a relievers standing late in the year. His last clean inning came on Aug. 7, a marker that has only underscored how quickly the margin for error has disappeared.
The bigger issue is that Webb is not operating in a vacuum. Chicagos bullpen has been unreliable for weeks, with leads slipping away in several games since Aug. 21, and the staff as a whole has had trouble keeping the ball in the yard. The Cubs have allowed the most home runs in the majors this season, so every shaky inning puts added pressure on a group already trying to stabilize itself before the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Jameson Taillons Latest Elbow Setback Just Raised A Bigger Question
Jameson Taillons elbow issue has turned into more than a routine late-season ailment, and for Cubs observers it serves as another reminder of how quickly a pitchers outlook can change. Taillon was placed on the injured list because of elbow inflammation, and after a season that already included a trade from Chicago to Toronto, the right-hander now finds himself dealing with another medical checkpoint as he weighs what comes next.
Taillon is scheduled to seek another opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, a step that usually signals a situation worth watching closely. For the Cubs, it closes the book on a frustrating chapter for a pitcher who never quite found steady footing amid the injuries and the homer-prone stretches that defined his time here, even before the latest setback raised the question of how long his career arc will remain unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Suddenly Have A Bullpen Problem At The Worst Time
The Cubs had been in control against the Braves after building a 3-0 lead, but the game flipped once the bullpen took over and Chicago ended up on the wrong side of a 6-3 loss. Jacob Webb had the roughest outing of the bunch, giving up the go-ahead two-run home run, and Edward Cabreras first appearance out of the bullpen also turned costly when he allowed two insurance runs.
What makes the setback sting is the timing. Chicago still sits atop the NL Wild Card standings with 10 games left in the regular season, but a late-inning wobble like this is the kind of thing that can linger if it shows up again in October. For a club that has spent much of the year leaning on its relief group to finish games, the final stretch just got a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]