Pete Crow-Armstrong transformed two pregame conversations with Sammy Sosa into one of the standout performances of his promising career.
Crow-Armstrong belted three home runs and drove in six runs on Saturday, strengthening his National League MVP credentials while leading the Chicago Cubs to a commanding 17-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The All-Star center fielder collected four hits and scored four times, thrilling the crowd of 39,597 at Wrigley Field.
“I think Pete’s having a wonderful season,” said manager Craig Counsell. “It’s a lot of fun to watch. We’re lucky to be a part of it.”
The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong crossed paths with Sosa in the stadium lobby en route to the ballpark, and the two connected again in the batting cage. Sosa, 57, was on hand for a pregame ceremony commemorating Chicago’s 150 years as a National League member.
According to Crow-Armstrong, Sosa challenged him to elevate his game, specifically calling for three home runs during the contest.
“He was like, ‘I want three out of you today. I need three,'” Crow-Armstrong recalled. “And sure enough, I don’t know what he passed down to me there.”
Crow-Armstrong continues to build his case for NL MVP honors, positioning himself as a strong challenger to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani, who has won the award each of the past two seasons. Ohtani has been sidelined from pitching duties since July 3 due to left knee soreness and a right biceps injury.
While Ohtani has been limited to designated hitter duties with the Dodgers, Crow-Armstrong stands out as one of baseball’s premier all-around defenders. His offensive consistency has also improved significantly, as he’s hitting .282 with 36 homers, 89 RBIs and 32 steals across 136 games this season.
“Sometimes you feel it in your bones that you’ve got a day like today in you,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And I did today.”
Crow-Armstrong opened the scoring with a 435-foot blast to right-center field in the first inning — his eighth career leadoff home run and all during this season. He followed with a second-inning two-run shot that found the foul pole in right field.
The three-homer game marked his fifth multihomer performance of the season and his 11th of his career.
“I think he can change the game in so many different ways,” said teammate Alex Bregman. “One day it’s hitting three homers, the next day it’s making three diving plays or just running down balls that nobody else can catch out there in center field. Another day, it’s stealing third base and scoring on a ball hit to left field. It’s just so many different things he can do on a baseball field.”
All three of Crow-Armstrong’s early hits came at the expense of left-hander Andrew Abbott. This season, he’s batting .315 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs against left-handed pitching, a marked improvement from his .188 average with seven homers and 27 RBIs versus lefties in 2025.
“It’s getting on the dish and learning the strike zone better,” Crow-Armstrong explained. “I’m just, I think I’m getting better naturally as a baseball player overall.”
Batting with runners on first and second in the seventh inning, Crow-Armstrong launched a 444-foot drive to center field off right-hander Tony Santillan. The Wrigley faithful erupted in chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” as he rounded the bases.
With Reds catcher Jose Trevino pitching in the eighth inning, Crow-Armstrong grounded to second base. Still, the fans gave him a lengthy ovation, saluting his first career three-homer game.
“The relationship has grown with all these fans,” Crow-Armstrong said. “So I’m just enjoying my time here more and more every day, whether I’m walking down the street or in my uniform.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.