Pete Crow-Armstrong just blew the doors off Wrigley Field with a three-homer explosion on Saturday, suddenly throwing the National League MVP race into absolute chaos. While a lot of fans just figured Shohei Ohtani would cruise to another NL MVP title in 2026, Crow-Armstrong is screaming his name into the conversation with a performance that just can’t be ignored. He’s not just playing well, he’s got the highest fielding wins above replacement (fWAR) for the Cubs since the legendary Sammy Sosa, according to Just Baseball. This dude is for real.
Crow-Armstrong’s Bat Is Pure Fire
What a day for the Cubs outfielder. His 4-of-6 outing on Saturday was an absolute clinic against the Reds, featuring not one, not two, but three dingers in a dominant 17-5 win. Crow-Armstrong started his fireworks show as the leadoff hitter, smashing the second pitch he saw from Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott an insane 435 feet to right-center, putting Chicago up 1-0 right away. Can you imagine the roar from the Wrigley crowd?
He wasn’t done, not by a long shot. In the very next inning, with the Cubs already up 4-2, PCA went yard again, blasting his 35th home run of the year down the right field line. It was close to foul, but the Windy City air kept it fair, stretching the lead to 6-2. By that point, he’d brought in half of his team’s runs himself. And to cap off an already insane day? He belted a 444-foot no-doubter to center, putting the Cubs up by eight runs. That bat flip? Oh man, he knew it was gone the second it left the bat. He finished the game with 3 HR, 4 runs scored, and 4 hits in the 17-5 beatdown. His season numbers are now looking elite: 36 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a league-leading 296 total bases.
The MVP Landscape Just Shifted for Ohtani
This monster performance from Crow-Armstrong, with numbers that just keep growing every single night, comes at a really interesting time. An injury update for Shohei Ohtani also broke on Saturday, and it’s definitely going to shake things up in the MVP race. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that Ohtani’s scheduled pitching appearance for Sunday was postponed. The Dodgers have been pretty careful with Ohtani’s pitching this season already, even with his superb stuff on the mound.
So, while Crow-Armstrong is tearing the cover off the ball and boosting his stats every game, Ohtani is now dealing with a setback that could impact his case. Every hit, every RBI, every homer for PCA is now weighted even heavier. This race was already intriguing, but with Crow-Armstrong’s massive day and Ohtani’s new injury status, the National League MVP race just got turned on its head. It’s going to be a wild ride to see how this plays out in the coming weeks.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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