Pete Crow-Armstrong Makes MLB History With 45th Homer as Cubs Near Playoff Berth
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 45th homer and became the first MLB center fielder with 40 homers, 30 doubles and 30 steals in one season.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
Pete Crow-Armstrong turned a dominant Chicago Cubs win into a historic afternoon on Sunday, hitting his 45th home run and becoming the first center fielder in MLB history with at least 40 homers, 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases in the same season. Chicago beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-1 at Great American Ball Park, reducing its magic number for a postseason berth to one.
Crow-Armstrong finished 3-for-5 with three runs, two RBIs, his 30th double and his 38th stolen base. His fifth-inning two-run homer traveled a Statcast-projected 411 feet and tied Kyle Schwarber for the Major League lead with 45 home runs.
Crow-Armstrong adds another first to a breakout season
The Cubs center fielder entered Sunday after an 0-for-10 start to the series, but immediately changed the tone in the finale. He singled in the first inning, stole second and later scored on Alex Bregman’s RBI single. Crow-Armstrong doubled and scored again during Chicago’s four-run third before delivering the biggest swing of his day two innings later.
With Chicago already ahead 6-1, Crow-Armstrong drove a 93.2 mph four-seam fastball from Carson Spiers into the right-center-field seats. The homer left his bat at 105.3 mph with a 33-degree launch angle, according to Statcast.
The combination of power, extra-base production and speed put him in rare company. Crow-Armstrong became only the 10th player in MLB history to produce a season with 40-plus home runs, 30-plus doubles and 30-plus stolen bases. No center fielder had previously reached all three marks in the same year.
He also moved within two stolen bases of a 40-homer, 40-steal season, a milestone no Cubs player has ever reached.
Cubs move to brink of October
Chicago improved to 87-69 and remained in the race for home-field advantage in the National League Wild Card Series. The Cubs own head-to-head tiebreakers over the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, giving every remaining game added weight even beyond simply securing a postseason place.
The offense gave left-hander David Peterson plenty of support. Michael Conforto and Seiya Suzuki also homered, while Peterson held Cincinnati to one run on three hits with seven strikeouts. Reds starter Rhett Lowder allowed five earned runs in three innings.
For Crow-Armstrong, the afternoon was another marker in a season that has moved well beyond a breakout. With 45 homers and 38 steals, he enters the final stretch chasing both a franchise first and the Major League home run lead while Chicago closes in on October baseball.
