Pete Crow-Armstrong Hits Three Home Runs, Channels Cubs Legend in Dominant Victory

CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered a performance worthy of the legends watching from the Wrigley Field bleachers Saturday, launching three home runs and driving in six runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 17-5 blowout victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The 24-year-old center fielder, known to fans as PCA, wasted no time making his presence felt. He opened the game with his eighth leadoff home run of the season, then added a solo shot in the second inning that pushed Chicago's lead to 6-2. His final blast came in the seventh, a no-doubt drive to center field that completed the first three-homer game of his major league career.

"I'm speechless right now," Crow-Armstrong said in an on-field interview after the game. "It's pretty crazy."

The victory came during a special afternoon at the Friendly Confines, as the Cubs honored their 150th Anniversary Team before first pitch. Among the Chicago legends in attendance was Sammy Sosa, the 1998 National League MVP who launched 66 home runs that season.

Crow-Armstrong revealed after the game that Sosa had offered a peculiar prediction before the first ball was thrown.

"Sammy did say I was gonna hit three today," Crow-Armstrong said. "Sammy Sosa told me I was gonna hit three, and I hit three. Put that on the record."

The 4-for-6 afternoon at the plate gave Crow-Armstrong a significant boost in what has become one of baseball's tightest MVP races. The center fielder now sits at 36 home runs and 32 stolen bases on the season, putting him on pace to become just the fifth player in major league history to achieve a 40-40 campaign while solidifying his case against Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

Should Crow-Armstrong claim the National League MVP honor, he would become the 10th player in Cubs franchise history to do so. The last Chicago player to win the award was Kris Bryant in 2016.

The Cubs' offense erupted for 17 runs on 16 hits, with Crow-Armstrong's contribution accounting for more than a third of the team's total runs scored. The victory improved Chicago's position in the playoff hunt as the regular season winds toward its conclusion.

For one afternoon, the young star played like the legends who came before him—and apparently, one legend saw it coming all along.