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Previewing Part 2 of the Crosstown Classic | Chicago Sports Tonight
Fox Chicago's Cassie Carlson and Sam Panayotovich are joined by the Athletic's Jon Greenberg to preview part 2 of the Crosstown series between the Cubs and White Sox.
Jacob Webb stated the obvious.
After the Chicago Cubs won 7-5 on Monday in dramatic fashion, the Cubs' pitcher was asked about the game Pete Crow-Armstrong had and mustered up a very clear homage to the center fielder.
"It's pretty special watching him up there," Webb said. "I'm glad he's on my team.
But, the obvious is just that these days with PCA. It's staring us all in the face.
The "M-V-P" chants that ring through Wrigley Field and reverberate through Chicago aren't just fans clamoring for their favorite player, either. MV-Pete is more than just a fun acronym at this point.
After Monday's performance, an NL MVP should be within reach for Crow-Armstrong now.
By the numbers:
Crow-Armstrong made history on Monday.
He became the first player since Chris Young in 2011 to lead off a game and walk it off with a home run. In Cubs' lore, Crow-Armstrong is the first Cubs player in franchise history to ever lead off a game with a home run, and end it with a walk-off home run.
That homer also brought him into the 30/30 club – 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases – for the second season in a row.
"Today I was like, 'man, it's pedal to the metal,'" he said.
Did he ever mean that, too.
PCA didn't just put the pedal to the metal. He went 4 for 5 with two home runs, a walk, a stolen base, three RBI and a strike out. He was a triple shy of the cycle.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 17: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the tenth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field on August 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by M …
In a season full of incredible moments from the face of the Cubs' franchise, Monday might have been one of the most memorable.
Given how he played, the numbers he put up, the milestones he met and the way he ended the game, Crow-Armstrong drew high praise.
"This might be his best game in the big leagues right here," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "We've had a number of these moments this season from Pete."
It was an incredible response to a weekend where Crow-Armstrong was the opposite of incredible.
In his last five games, Crow-Armstrong went 2 for 23 with a home run, a double, three RBI and nine strikeouts. That led to a mentality change heading into Monday.
"Have some conviction in the swings that you're taking," Crow-Armstrong said. "Don't be afraid to swing and miss, kind of stuff. Simple as that really."
M-V-Pete:
When asked about his NL MVP candidacy, Crow-Armstrong brushed it off. He talked about his teammates. He deflected it all.
It's a talking point for sports talk radio hosts and columnists instead of something he spends time thinking about.
"When you play a game like we did tonight, that's all the fun that I need in my life ever," he said. "It's been really fun watching Jacob Webb pitch. I have much more fun doing that than paying attention to any of that stuff."
But, at this point, you can't deny Pete Crow-Armstrong.
With nearly a whole month left of baseball, Crow-Armstrong could be the seventh player to ever reach the 40-40 Club with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. Dodgers star, and Crow-Armstrong's main competition for the NL MVP, Shohei Othani did it last year as he created the 50-50 Club.
But, Othani's claim to a fourth-consecutive MVP award was how he's starring as a two-way player that boasts a 1.79 ERA that has also hit 29 home runs. Othani hasn't pitched since July 3, and will eventually return to the mound in September.
You can't deny Crow-Armstrong, though.
This isn't to say Crow-Armstrong deserves the NL MVP outright. There's still so much more baseball left to play.
Picture this, though: The Cubs end up catching the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central race and Crow-Armstrong is a key factor in winning the NL Central while he enters the 40-40 Club. If that happens, then Crow-Armstrong shouldn't just be in the conversation for the NL MVP. At that point, he should lead it.
Especially if there are more moments like Monday.
"It was an amazing game," Counsell said.
He's right. Monday's game had a playoff atmosphere, which is the kind of environment that demands the most out of great players and leaves others behind.
That sentiment is also applicable to just Crow-Armstrong, too.
"Expectations you might have for him," Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga said. "He always surpasses them."