CHICAGO -- Pete Crow-Armstrong rocked back, his bat still extended in the air in his right hand, watching as the baseball he just sent into flight soared high down Wrigley Field’s right-field line. Given the swirling nature of the wind on Friday afternoon, the Cubs' center fielder was waiting to see if it would stay fair.
“It felt like a while,” Crow-Armstrong said with a smile. “But that’s kind of one of those blackout moments. I knew I had enough.”
The ball hooked inside the foul pole and the Friendly Confines became frenzied as Crow-Armstrong’s three-run blast in the second inning tipped the scales on an eventual 13-3 rout over the rival White Sox. He was an offensive catalyst to help rookie Cade Horton to the win in his first Major League start.
Cubs fans have not had to wait long to see Crow-Armstrong show off his star potential. They are watching it in real time this season.
Crow-Armstrong’s home run off Sox righty Shane Smith -- who had allowed just one homer to the previous 186 batters he faced in his outstanding rookie campaign -- marked his 12th shot of the season. At game's end, Crow-Armstrong was the only player in baseball to have at least a dozen homers and a dozen stolen bases.
“The guy can do a lot of things on the baseball field,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Wish he had done a little bit less today.”
Crow-Armstrong -- filling in for Ian Happ (10-day injured list) atop the order for the Cubs -- also tied a franchise record by registering six RBIs out of the leadoff spot. Rick Monday was the last to knock in that many runs for the North Siders as the leadoff man, doing so on May 5, 1976, against the Dodgers.
“Every time he comes up to the plate, you know something awesome might happen,” Cubs catcher Carson Kelly said. “You’re on the edge of your seat just watching him.”
That is because Crow-Armstrong is currently performing like one of the top players in the game.
With his showing against the White Sox, Crow-Armstrong walked off the field with 2.8 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. That ranked first in the National League and second only to Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (4.0) in the Major Leagues.
All 12 of Crow-Armstrong’s home runs have come in his past 28 games stretching back to April 13. Beginning with his two-homer outburst against the Dodgers that day, the center fielder has hit .333/.354/.750 with 20 extra-base hits, 31 RBIs, 23 runs scored and seven stolen bases.
“He’s playing at a really high level right now,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s driving the ball in the air. That’s led to the home runs, obviously. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to see a player take another step. He’s taken a step defensively. He’s taken a big step offensively. It’s an impact player.
“The ability to hit the home run now, I think that’s probably a pretty big surprise. But you need surprises, so it’s an important one.”
In the second, Crow-Armstrong drilled a full-count slider from Smith out to right for his home run, powering a six-run outburst for the Cubs. He added three more singles, including one to drive in one run in the sixth and another that tacked on two more in the seventh.
Combined with a few more contributions up and down the lineup -- including the first two RBIs of rookie Moisés Ballesteros’ big league career -- Horton was able to find the win column behind his five solid frames
“He’s a really special player,” Horton said of Crow-Armstrong. “I watched him play in high school. I always knew he was going to be a star, but this year, he’s really found a groove and it’s awesome to watch. I love playing with guys like that -- guys that want to win and will do anything to help their team do that"
Crow-Armstrong deflected any talk of making his first All-Star team or being mentioned as a possible MVP candidate, if he were to maintain this pace.
“That’s irrelevant to what I do on a daily basis,” Crow-Armstrong said.
On this day, Crow-Armstrong was just glad the wind was friendly, and against the White Sox.
“It’s nice seeing the cross-town fans leave early,” he quipped.
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