The Chicago Cubs are taking on the Chicago White Sox this week at Wrigley Field, and Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong stayed hot at the plate Tuesday, hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning.
It was his 31st home run of the year and his second leadoff home run in as many days.
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Crow-Armstrong finished Monday’s game 4-for-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI. His second homer was the game-winner, as he launched a 391-foot, walk-off shot to give the Cubs a 7-5 victory in the 10th inning. With that, the Chicago outfielder became the first player in 70 years to hit a leadoff home run on the first pitch his team saw and hit a walk-off home run on the last pitch his team saw in a game.
PCA also made Cubs history by becoming the first player in franchise history to record back-to-back 30-30 seasons. He has 31 steals entering Tuesday’s game.
Crow-Armstrong, 24, is putting together an MVP-caliber season. He came into Tuesday’s game against the White Sox slashing .281/.379/.550 with 30 home runs and 78 RBI.
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He faces an uphill battle in the MVP race, of course. Shohei Ohtani has won back-to-back National League MVP Awards and is having another very good season, though he’s slightly underperforming compared to what we’re used to seeing from him. That gives PCA a window to capture the award with a strong finish to the season.
If Crow-Armstrong wins MVP, he would be the first Cub to take home the honor since third baseman Kris Bryant in 2016. That season, Bryant slashed .292/.385/.554 with 29 home runs and 102 RBI en route to the Cubs’ World Series championship.
