Pete Crow-Armstrong turned Wrigley Field into his own MVP audition Wednesday night, belting two home runs and adding an RBI triple as the Cubs beat the Braves, 8-4, to protect their slim hold on the National League’s top Wild Card position.
Crow-Armstrong rewrites Cubs left-handed records
The Cubs’ center fielder heard the “M-V-P” chants building during his seventh-inning plate appearance. They grew into a full Wrigley roar after he circled the bases on his second homer of the night.
Crow-Armstrong has previously joked that chants of his initials did not always lead to his best work. The new refrain has brought different results. His 43rd home run of the season, hit in the third inning, and his later blast pushed him past Hall of Famer Billy Williams for the most homers in a Cubs season by a left-handed hitter. Williams had held that club mark with 42 in 1970.
The RBI triple gave Crow-Armstrong 81 extra-base hits, another single-season Cubs record for a left-handed batter. Williams had set the previous standard with 80 extra-base hits during that same 1970 campaign.
It was Crow-Armstrong’s 10th career game with at least 10 total bases. No player younger than 25 has produced more than seven such games since records began in 1900. Within Cubs history, only Williams and Sammy Sosa, with 12 apiece, have had more.
He also matched Nelson Cruz for the most 10-total-base games in one Major League season. Cruz recorded six in 2019, and Crow-Armstrong now owns six this year.
Bregman and Imanaga steady the Cubs
Alex Bregman was nearly as difficult for Atlanta to contain, finishing a single away from the cycle while helping Shota Imanaga earn a quality start.
Bregman opened Chicago’s scoring with an RBI double against Braves starter JR Ritchie in the first inning. After Crow-Armstrong’s first homer in the third, Bregman answered with a leadoff homer in the fourth, his 26th of the season. The two Cubs hitters then paired run-scoring triples in the fifth as Chicago created the separation it needed.
Entering Wednesday, Crow-Armstrong ranked first in the Majors in second-half FanGraphs WAR at 4.0, while Bregman stood third at 3.1. They again looked like a formidable one-two punch against an Atlanta club still chasing the NL East crown.
Wild Card edge remains intact
The victory kept Chicago a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for the National League’s leading Wild Card spot. The Cubs also hold the tiebreaker over the Phillies after taking six of their seven meetings in April.
For one night at least, the standings race took a back seat to the sound at Wrigley: Crow-Armstrong’s name may once have been the crowd’s favorite chant, but “M-V-P” now fits the moment just fine.
SEO Title: Pete Crow-Armstrong hits two homers as Cubs beat Braves
SEO Description: Pete Crow-Armstrong set Cubs left-handed hitting records with two home runs and an RBI triple in Chicago’s 8-4 win over Atlanta.
