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MLB News & Moments: PCA 3HR Game

Pete Henry Crow-Armstrong. Pretty good ballplayer.

Josh Shaw
MLB Morning News An Hour Ago

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The National League MVP race is over. Premature to say with a whole month left to go? Probably. Could an asteroid eviscerate everyone in the NL except Osleivis Basabe and hand him the hardware? Technically. But barring catastrophe, this is Pete Crow-Armstrong’s award to lose. You know why. You saw what he did yesterday. And if you didn’t, look at the headline. Proof of his assured victory can be found here: PCA leads the NL with 9.1 fWAR. Second? Miami’s Otto Lopez with 4.7. Check and mate. Now, onto some context.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

A Game. A Man. A Home Run… Or Three

Some players feel like myths. Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is fast becoming one of them. Especially due to his heroics in a 17-5 sacking of the Cincinnati Reds. The presumptive NL MVP went 4-for-6 yesterday while belting three home runs. Yes, three, a first in his career! The first came right off the jump. Second pitch Crow-Armstrong sees he likes. Why shouldn’t he? It’s right down the middle. Crow-Armstrong airs it 435 feet to start the tale. His second shot came, well, in the second. This pitch, a curveball, was cranked 375 feet to right. His third, his 35th of the season, was a no-doubter to left. And yet this game might be a footnote in the fable that is PCA’s 2026 season.

No Roars for the Red Sox, Yawns for the Yankees

The Rivalry — The Boston Red Sox versus the New York Yankees, for the uninitiated — is usually exciting. Yesterday? Yeah, not so much. Game one went from an early bore to a late blowout. Boston was the recipient of the turnaround, winning 6-0. Starter Jake Bennett pitched a gem. striking out seven over six shutout innings. Game two was simply a snoozer, with New York taking the affair 9-2. Boston took an early lead thanks to a solo shot from Nick Sogard. From there, the Bronx Bombers owned the nightcap. Ben Rice tied the game, and three sacrifice outs put New York ahead and then kept them there. Several runs late put it out of reach. We’ll see if tomorrow’s series finale offers better fare.

Bigger than any win for the Yankees is the return of Max Fried. Fried made his first start in two weeks following a bone bruise in his pitching elbow. Overall, Fried looked fine. The lefty allowed three hits, a walk, and a run in three-and-two-thirds innings of work while striking out four. If nothing else, it’s a first step.

Eat Your Heart Out, John Glenn

Have you ever heard of “the right stuff?” Author Tom Wolfe popularized the phrase in his book called, well, guess. Regardless, the phrase means someone has certain God-given or self-attained attributes that make them a cut above the rest. Astronauts, pilots, armed servicemen and women, have it: The right stuff. So does Detroit Tigers shortstop and AL Rookie of the Year favorite Kevin McGonigle. The rookie proved it again with a walk-off RBI single to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1. The 22-year-old now has a .796 OPS and 4.6 fWAR. The latter is sixth-best in baseball. Yeah, he’s got it.

Washington’s First Walk-Off. No, Really. 

Entering yesterday, the Washington Nationals hadn’t won a single game on a walk-off. That all changed in their 5-4 win against the Miami Marlins. Outfielder Dylan Crews broke the streak. With the bases loaded and two outs, Crews got the better of pitcher Michael Petersen. The hitter hammered Petersen’s second pitch past an outstretched Xavier Edwards. In return, Crews got a Gatorade bath and became an answer to an obscure trivia question that will sometime be asked in the 2030s to unknowing co-eds.

Royals Keep Rallying

This is not important news. This will not change the complexion of the season? But in the words of Jimmy Johnson, “How about them Cow– Royals?” The Kansas City Royals are red hot. Scalding, even. They’ve won 12 of their last 13 following an 8-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians last night. Josh Rojas held the blazing tongs. The journeyman infielder collected four RBIs as a pinch-hitter. Yes, you read that right. Rojas first hit a two-run RBI single and then later a two-run homer. Does anybody else smell a late-stage berserker?

 

By The Numbers

 

⚾ 1974. Pete Crow-Armstrong is the first Cubs player since George Mitterwald in 1974 with at least four hits, three homers, and six RBIs at Wrigley. Shout-out to George, the pride and joy of California’s Mount Eden High School. 

⚾ 100. I see London, I see France, I see Ty France hit the 100th home run of his career. Yeah. Doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it? 

⚾ 37. Yordan Alvarez stands alone again in the AL. With a homer yesterday, he’s supplanted Junior Caminero for sole possession of the AL home run lead. Snoogans. 

⚾ 30. Reds rookie Sal Stewart hit his 30th home run of the season. He and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson are the only rookies in Reds history to do such a feat. 

⚾ 20. Jackson Chourio missed the first five weeks of the season. Even still, he’s logged 20 homers. Chourio’s done so thrice in his career, making him the 17th player in MLB history to have at least three seasons with 20+ home runs by his age-22 season. 

⚾ 10. Despite the Dodgers’ loss, Blake Snell gave fans some silver lining. The two-time Cy Young winner struck out 10 yesterday and had 31 punchouts in four starts this month. He’s rounding into form just in time. 

⚾ 7. Merrill Kelly had himself an afternoon. The veteran worked seven scoreless innings yesterday and struck out seven against the San Francisco Giants. 

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

From One Cub to Another

We can officially consider the baton passed.

Lars and the Real Grand Slam

Even a mannequin would appreciate a bomb like this.

A Rocket to Randy

Randy Arozarena now knows what it’s like to catch a comet.

Little (E)Wing

A.J. Ewing was running ’round with a circus mind to make this catch. Fly on.

Oh, Canada

The Toronto Blue Jays officially inducted 11 icons to Toronto’s new Hall of Excellence. Hall of Excellence? Not Fame? Is that a Canadian thing?

Maddux Back on the Mound

Retirement looks good on Greg. Let’s leave it at that.

Congrats to Kent

Here’s one more celebration for the old-timers.

Burleson’s Baby Reveal

Forget colored cakes. Forget fireworks. Get an MLB player for your gender reveal. In today’s high-priced economy, it’s shockingly affordable.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Here’s Juanny! Mets outfielder Juan Soto bashed rehab’s brains in and was activated off the IL yesterday, sans a rehab assignment. Soto rejoins the Mets after a calf injury sidelined him for a little under three weeks. This all comes at the expense of first baseman Eric Wagaman, whom the Mets optioned to Triple-A.

⚾ Shohei Ohtani will not start today as previously scheduled. Nor will he start later this week. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the superstar didn’t feel 100% after a 20-pitch bullpen session on Friday. In other words, Ohtani’s return to the mound is up in the air once again. Tyler Glasnow will get the nod today. 

⚾ Here’s a shocker: The Mets placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on outright waivers in the middle of Saturday’s game, just as Robert took an at-bat. Calling it a head-scratcher doesn’t quite do it justice. While Robert is a shadow of his former self, some sun is seeping in. Over his last 15 games, he’s hitting .279 with a 1.024 OPS. That said, whoever, if anyone, claims Robert, is on the hook for a $20 million option next season. 

⚾ The Boston Red Sox get to shove it to the New York Yankees once more. The team activated reliever and former Yankee Garrett Whitlock just ahead of their doubleheader in the Bronx. Whitlock missed the last three weeks with elbow inflammation. Wyatt Olds returns to Triple-A for Whitlock, while Raymond Burgos joined Boston’s bullpen for the twin bill.

⚾ San Diego Padres infielder Luis Rengifo left Saturday’s game aboard a cart. The official diagnosis is a sprained knee, which doesn’t look good, according to manager Craig Stammen. 

⚾ The St. Louis Cardinals DFA’d lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson on Sunday. It’s somewhat an odd move. The Redbirds acquired Ferguson from the Reds at the trade deadline and are cutting bait after just nine games. In fairness, Ferguson pitched to an 8.64 ERA in those games with eight walks in eight-and-a-third innings. St. Louis replaces Ferguson with another lefty, Brycen Mautz.

⚾ The Royals, perhaps following the Mets model, put reliever John Schreiber on waivers. The veteran has a 3.65 ERA in 55 appearances. He could be a nice late add for some contender. 

⚾ San Francisco had the transaction wire running like a trolley car. Here’s the nuts and bolts: Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson is back from Triple-A, and left-hander Seth Lonsway is coming up with him. Meanwhile, the Giants optioned Spencer Bivens to make it all work.

⚾ Jarred Kelenic is finally getting his chance in New York, just with the Yankees. The Yankees signed the former top prospect to a minor league contract. The Yankees also DFA’d reliever Justin Topa.

⚾ Speaking of second chances, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected veteran reliever Derek Law’s contract from Triple-A. Lefty Mitch Bratt comes up from Reno with Law for the doubleheader against the Giants, while reliever Kohl Drake was optioned to Reno.

 

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Josh Shaw

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Josh Shaw graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2022 with a Journalism degree. He's written for The New Hampshire, Pro Sports Fanatics, and PitcherList.

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