Pete Crow-Armstrong swats 40th home run in loss

He was also hit by a pitch. The homer came in the ninth and was the first allowed by Trevor Megill in 55 innings this season. Unfortunately, it was a solo shot instead of a game-tying two-run homer because Luis Lara had just robbed Pedro Ramírez of a double. Crow-Armstrong now has 41 homers and 35 steals. He clearly wants the 40 steals and probably will be very aggressive until he gets there.

The 24-year-old budding superstar tagged Brewers’ right-hander Logan Henderson for a 413-foot (104.3-mph EV) two-run shot in the third inning that gave the Cubs an early 2-0 advantage that they would never relinquish. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the night. He has been absolutely sizzling at the plate over the past few weeks and has surged past Shohei Ohtani as the favorite to take home National League MVP honors — slashing .280/.375/.571 with 39 homers, 93 RBI and 32 stolen bases in what has been a spectacular all-around campaign.

Crow-Armstrong’s first homer shouldn’t have happened; Chase Burns’ 2-2 pitch caught the corner, but the ump called it a ball and the Reds declined to challenge it. PCA took the next one 417 feet to right for his 37th homer of the year. No. 38, on an Emilio Pagán fastball right down main street, came with two outs and the Cubs down by three, so it didn’t lead to much. However, Crow-Armstrong is now all alone in second place for the MLB lead in homers, two behind Kyle Schwarber.

It’s the first three-homer game in the superstar outfielder’s young career. He started the home half of the first inning with a bang, crushing an 0-1 fastball from Andrew Abbott for a 435-foot (105.8-mph EV) solo shot. He victimized Abbott again in the second inning, that time for a 375-foot (103.4-mph) two-run blast to right. He then singled and scored in the fourth inning before tagging Tony Santillan for a monstrous 444-foot (105.3-mph EV) three-run bomb in the seventh inning. He’s not a lock to take home NL MVP honors over Shohei Ohtani, but his chances of doing so continue to improve with each passing day. The dynamic 24-year-old is slashing a robust .282/.377/.567 with 36 homers, 89 RBI, 97 runs scored and 32 stolen bases while playing exceptional defense in center field.

The homer gives Crow-Armstrong 33 on the season, and nine of those have come in his torrid August. The 24-year-old MVP candidate also singled and walked while scoring a second run. A remarkable season for Crow-Armstrong that has shown that 2025 wasn’t a fluke, but in fact a mere appetizer of what he’s capable of doing.

A day after hitting a leadoff and walk-off home run against the White Sox, he started Tuesday’s contest with another leadoff blast off Bryan Hudson for his 31st homer of the season. With a runner on and one out and the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, the White Sox weren’t going to give him a chance to do it again as they issued an intentional walk. The 24-year-old outfielder is having an incredible campaign, slashing .282/.381/.555 with the 31 homers, 90 runs scored, 79 RBI, and 31 steals across 566 plate appearances.

Crow-Armstrong took Luis Castillo deep to start the bottom of the first and later hit Hagen Smith’s fourth pitch of the night out to right to end the game in the 10th. The homers were PCA’s 29th and 30th, giving him a second straight 30/30 campaign. He also collected his 31st steal for good measure. He’s the 19th player to record multiple 30/30 seasons, and according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, he’s the seventh player with leadoff and walkoff homers in the same game. The last was Chris Young in 2010.

Crow-Armstrong got the Cubs on the board with a two-run homer off Hunter Dobbins. It comes in a losing effort, but it ups the MVP candidates’ home run total to 28, and he’s driven in 75 runs as well.

Crow-Armstrong’s homer came in the third inning off an ineffective Jake Irvin, and got the Cubs to within a run at 3-2. The MVP candidate has gone deep 27 times in 2026 while driving in 72 runs. After showing the ability to be a star in 2025, the man they call PCA has put it all together to become one of the best fantasy options in the sport.

Crow-Armstrong is back patrolling center field after spending a pair of games at DH. The 24-year-old rising superstar has emerged as one of the NL MVP Award frontrunners this season, hitting .286/.388/.544 with 26 homers and 30 steals in 527 plate appearances. His durability and counting stats volume are the biggest reasons why he’s delivered first-round fantasy value this season.