Think he knew? PCA demands challenge after wild dive -- and he's right
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It’s safe to say that Pete Crow-Armstrong was pretty sure he was, well, safe on this bang-bang play at the plate.
The Cubs center fielder dashed home from third base when Alex Bregman squibbed a ground ball to first base in the ninth inning of Thursday’s 7-2 Cubs victory over the Pirates. The throw from first baseman Spencer Horwitz arrived at the plate before Crow-Armstrong, who dove headfirst with both hands outstretched in front of him.
Home-plate umpire Dan Bellino initially called Crow-Armstrong out, ruling that catcher Henry Davis slapped the tag down in time. PCA did not agree with the call. He popped up off the ground and immediately put his hands to his ears, signaling for Cubs manager Craig Counsell to challenge.
How confident was PCA? Well, he started doling out high-fives to everyone and anyone on the dugout steps, even before Counsell informed the umpires of the Cubs’ decision. Crow-Armstrong continued slapping congratulatory high-fives with teammates as he hopped down the length of the dugout.
Sure enough, the replay showed that PCA’s right hand brushed across the plate before Davis applied the tag. Count that as a win for athletic slides and celebrations that aren’t premature, after all.