PCA, again! Cubs star follows up walk-off blast with another leadoff HR

CHICAGO – In the hours leading up to Tuesday night’s game, Pete Crow-Armstrong flipped his hat around backward and headed to the dugout wearing a vintage Cubs jersey and shorts. A group of kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago was waiting in the dugout.

The Cubs star center fielder took a seat, chatted them up and had the group smiling and laughing as he answered an array of questions. It was a fun scene – one that ended with him saying he would love to stay, but he had to go get ready for that night’s game against the White Sox.

Crow-Armstrong then gave the kids what they came to see, launching a leadoff homer to jump-start the North Siders’ offense. "The PCA Show" was underway once again, and one night after he authored arguably his greatest single-game performance since he reached the Major Leagues.

In Monday’s 7-5 victory over the White Sox, Crow-Armstrong ended things with a two-run walk-off homer in the 10th inning after he earlier hit the first pitch of the game out for a homer in the first. He finished the evening with four hits, one walk and a stolen base to keep adding to an MVP case that seemingly gets stronger by the week.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Crow-Armstrong’s performance Monday put him alongside Chris Young (Aug. 7, 2010), Ian Kinsler (July 19, 2009), Reed Johnson (June 15, 2003), Darin Erstad (June 25, 2000) and Vic Power (May 7, 1957) as the only players with a leadoff and walk-off homer in the same game.

On Tuesday, Crow-Armstrong became the 13th player (since at least 1900) with a leadoff homer in the next team game after hitting a walk-off shot, per Elias. Jose Altuve (June 15-16, 2021) was the last to achieve the feat. Crow-Armstrong became the first Cubs player in that span to do so, and he is the first in MLB history to do it after having a leadoff homer and a walk-off blast in the previous game.

This marked the second time this season that Crow-Armstrong belted a leadoff homer in back-to-back games. He also did so on June 15-16 this season. Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Brady Anderson boasts the record (since at least 1900) with leadoff homers in four straight games in 1996. Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018) and Alex Verdugo (2023) did it in three games in a row. Crow-Armstrong could join that list on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s blast came off a 2-1 four-seamer from White Sox lefty Bryan Hudson and gave Crow-Armstrong 31 home runs on the season. With his two-homer showing on Monday night, the center fielder became the first Cubs player (and 10th in MLB history) to record a 30-30 campaign in consecutive seasons.