San Diego — Pete Crow-Armstrong faced a rocky start when the Chicago Cubs concluded their initial West Coast trip at Petco Park in late April. He had hit only one home run across 119 plate appearances in 29 games. Tensions flared after an unproductive series opener against the Padres; frustrated, Crow-Armstrong tossed his batting gloves at the trash can during practice. This moment marked the beginning of his transformation into an MVP contender.
On April 28, Crow-Armstrong launched a three-run homer off Padres pitcher Wandy Peralta, followed by a two-run homer against Matt Waldron the next night. This marked the start of his impressive journey in subsequent weeks. After those games, he achieved a .288/.386/.624 slash line and a 1.009 OPS.
“It could have been easy to let the year get away from me, but day in and day out I think there was just a regular reminder that it’s a long season,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I mean, we were playing really good baseball as a team at that point as well, so kind of easy to show up and get ready to try and improve and help the team whether they don’t need much of it to start with.”
The Cubs hoped to host the wild-card series at Wrigley Field but ended up facing the Padres again on the road. Left-hander Matthew Boyd is expected to set the tone in Game 1, while the Cubs need offensive support after enduring challenging weather in the regular season’s final week. Crow-Armstrong plays a crucial role at the top of the lineup. His previous postseason performance fell short, but he now enters with heightened expectations as a potential NL MVP.
“I guess it’s a relatively similar team and bullpen and all that, but it’s the same game, but new baseball to be played,” Crow-Armstrong stated. “I’m fortunate and lucky to have a year of this under my belt already. I mean, it’s exciting to do it in a new place. This place is super fun to play in in the regular season, and it’s rocking and it’s a party.”
Padres third baseman Manny Machado recognizes the effort required for an MVP season, having achieved four top-5 finishes himself. Though he hadn’t seen Crow-Armstrong play live since June, Machado acknowledged his rising status as an MVP favorite.
“It’s been awesome, man, it’s been great to see the season he’s had, 40-40, putting that team on his back,” Machado commented. “I’d seen it coming. The last couple years, it’s been a little glimpse here and there of what he can do, and, obviously, he took his game to the next level.”
As the series against the Padres begins, Crow-Armstrong in the leadoff spot poses a challenge for Padres’ starter Michael King, who aims to limit Crow-Armstrong’s impact. Last year, Crow-Armstrong entered the playoffs with a .216 average and hit four home runs in his final 162 plate appearances.
“Let’s be honest, I mean, he’d tell you that he was a bad hitter at times last year, and so that is what kind of makes it a little bit remarkable,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I think we also all saw it last year. We saw the greatness, and we saw what he had the ability to do.”
Crow-Armstrong’s drive for improvement helped him contribute to a formidable offense. The regular season is over, but the Cubs’ ambitions hinge on tackling their immediate challenges.
“Anything can happen,” Crow-Armstrong said. “There’s elements of you don’t want to treat it like anything bigger than it is, but you also want to appreciate how cool and special this is. I’m looking forward to playing a really good ball club and getting another crack at them and starting these playoffs off on a high note.”