Pete Crow-Armstrong made a costly mistake during a recent game for the Cubs.
In the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s match, he caught a fly ball hit by Alec Burleson and casually headed to the dugout. However, the second out in that inning was already recorded, which allowed Machine Winn to score from second base, giving the Cubs an 8-5 deficit.
Winn’s run ultimately led to the Cubs’ 8-7 loss—their third straight defeat.
“He lost track of the outs. It was just an error,” said manager Craig Counsel in a post-game talk with reporters.
Crow-Armstrong’s teammates seemed hesitant to place the blame solely on him.
“He’s been excellent for us this year,” starter Jameson Taillon remarked. “Obviously, he’s one of the best defenders out there. It’s just unexpected. He takes pride in his defense and being a good teammate, so I’m not particularly concerned.”
“I’m not fixated on the eighth run I gave up. I’m more concerned about the overall eight runs. This kind of mistake shouldn’t happen again. He’s been solid for us.”
Crow-Armstrong’s performance had begun to slip after being mentioned as a potential National League MVP candidate following a strong start to the season.
He is currently batting .273, with 21 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases over 78 games. But most of that productivity came in April and May; he’s only managed a .259 average with nine home runs in his last 30 games, contributing 23 RBIs and ten stolen bases.
It’s apparent that he wasn’t looking to complicate things with such a straightforward play.
“I just feel a bit off,” he admitted.
Despite this slip-up, Crow-Armstrong has emerged as one of baseball’s top players, sporting a WAR rating of 4.0, placing him third overall behind Yankees star Aaron Judge at 6.1 and Mariners standout Cal Raleigh at 5.4.
Originally a Mets prospect, he was traded to the Cubs in 2021 in exchange for pitchers Trevor Williams and Javier Baez at the trade deadline.
