Latest news with #Pete Crow-Armstrong
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
A Red Sox-Cubs World Series? We'd have Fenway, Wrigley and so much more
It's not just Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber who've been delivering home run swagger this week. How about that home run from the MLB schedule makers? Right out of the post-All-Star Game gate, we're going to have the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs in a three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field. True, interleague play has been around in some form since 1997, which means it's no longer sparkly and exciting in and of itself. But Red Sox-Cubs is different, partly because of each team's ancient and lovely ballpark but also because it's two franchises that endured decades and decades of bad luck, bad hops and bad karma before finally winning championships. Advertisement The bonus is that this series won't be limited to a throwdown as to whether Wrigley or Boston's Fenway Park is the better of the two ancient ballyards. For though Fenway-versus-Wrigley is a big part of any Red Sox-Cubs discussion, this time it's the actual talent of the clubs that stands out. The Cubs are in first place in the National League Central. They've got Pete Crow-Armstrong, the dazzling 23-year-old who's already hit 25 home runs and knocked in 71 runs. And they have journeyman lefty Matthew Boyd, who has chosen 2025 and Chicago's North Side to deliver both a career year and a feel-good story. He's 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 19 starts playing for the team his late grandfather rooted for back in the day. The Red Sox, written off by many (including me!) just weeks ago, take a 10-game winning streak into the series, which kicks off with a Friday matinee. The Red Sox didn't merely 'win' those 10 straight games. They screamed them from a mountaintop, is what they did. It began with an 11-2 victory over the Washington Nationals in which shortstop Trevor Story collected four hits and knocked in four runs. There was a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, thanks to Ceddanne Rafaela's two-run, walk-off home run. NESN's Dave O'Brien delivered a home run call that was of such moment-capturing brilliance that Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman felt compelled to mention it when he was interviewed on the pregame show the next day. And later that day was when Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet pitched a three-hit shutout in Boston's 1-0 victory over the Rays. CEDDANNE RAFAELA HITS IT OUT OF FENWAY 😤 THE @REDSOX ARE WALK-OFF WINNERS! — MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025 The Red Sox? Dead? Not only are they not dead, it's as though magic wackadoo dust has altered the senses of everyone from casual fans to press box know-it-alls. How else to explain all these people who suddenly are talking about the Red Sox playing in the World Series? As in this year's World Series. Advertisement To roll out just one example, let's offer up The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 'They are a team that, frankly, might be in the World Series if they make the right moves here,' said Rosenthal, discussing the trade deadline on the 'Fair Territory' podcast. But if the very thought of the Red Sox continuing to play graceful baseball and making it to the World Series sounds far-fetched, how about something that's, um, farrer-fetched? How about we get that World Series we've been waiting for since 1918? Yep: How about we get a 2025 World Series between the Red Sox and Cubs? Admittedly, a Red Sox-Cubs World Series would have had more snap, crackle and pop had the Sox been looking for their first championship since 1918 and the Cubs their first championship since 1908. It looked like we might have had one in 2003, when the Red Sox were playing the New York Yankees in the ALCS and the Cubs were playing the Florida Marlins in the NLCS. MLB commissioner Bud Selig, appearing on Boston all-sports station WEEI during the Sox-Yankees series, was practically salivating over a Red Sox-Cubs World Series. Alas, the world wasn't ready. That's why Steve Bartman was sent by the baseball gods to derail the Cubs in Game 6 of the NLCS. Those same gods sent cosmic messages to Red Sox manager Grady Little with instructions to leave Pedro Martínez on the mound in Game 7 of the ALCS — even after the Dominican Dandy had surpassed the dreaded 100-pitch threshold. (Which, at that stage in Pedro's career, was when every opposing hitter turned into Ty Cobb.) Instead of Red Sox-Cubs in the 2003 World Series, it was Yankees-Marlins. The Marlins took out the Yankees in six games. Not that anyone in Boston or Chicago noticed, given all the screaming and finger-pointing that was going on in those towns. It used to be said the world would come to an end if the Red Sox and Cubs were to play in the World Series. A clever line in its time, it's no longer relevant. The Red Sox eventually won the World Series in 2004 for their first championship since beating the Cubs 86 years earlier. As in … 1918. As for the modern-day Cubs, the 2016 crew won the franchise's first World Series since 1908 with a Game 7, 10-inning, 8-7 victory over Cleveland. Advertisement But a Red Sox-Cubs World Series, even without the world-coming-to-an-end warning label, would be must-see TV. The teams do have exciting players. And to get back to the ballparks, it would be impossible not to take notice of a 2025 World Series played at ballparks that were built for people born in the 19th century. There used to be this unwritten 'no dead guys' rule in baseball, the idea being that MLB should focus on today's stars and stop dredging up players from the past. The anecdotal evidence suggests baseball no longer abides by that unwritten rule. MLB certainly celebrates and promotes its megastars of today — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, just to pick two players, are gifts from marketing heaven — but legends from yesteryear are being reworked into the discussion. Witness the manner in which players from the old Negro Leagues have been granted posthumous major-league status. In 2022, the documentary 'It Ain't Over,' about the life of the late Yankees legend Yogi Berra, was critically acclaimed. And, wow, how about that tribute to the late Hank Aaron during the All-Star Game? I tell you all that so I can tell you this: A Red Sox-Cubs World Series would present an opportunity to re-celebrate two late legends who remain the faces of their franchises. That's Ted Williams of the Red Sox and Ernie Banks of the Cubs, of course. Ted Williams and Ernie Banks at the 500 Home Run hitters reunion in 1996. — Baseball's Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) May 16, 2025 If those added storylines are not enough, there's so much more. From Hollywood, it'd be Cubs fans Bill Murray and John Cusack versus Red Sox fans Matt Damon and the Affleck boys, Ben and Casey. Political punditry could give us Sox fans Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor ('Crooked Media') ganging up on Cubs fan David Axelrod (CNN). We could write about how Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer started his front-office career with the Red Sox, and how Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow started his front-office career with the Cubs. Theo Epstein, who built World Series-winning rosters for the Red Sox and Cubs, would be worthy of throwing out a first pitch for both teams. We could go on and on here, but it all comes back to this: The Red Sox and Cubs have exciting players and are playing fine baseball. We'll see that this weekend. Perhaps we'll see more of it in October. (Photo of Ceddanne Rafaela: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
Al Arabiya
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Crow-armstrong homers twice as cubs top twins to deny series sweep
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs for his fifth multi-homer game this season, powering the Chicago Cubs past the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Thursday. Crow-Armstrong, whose first-half breakout earned him a starting spot for the National League All-Star team, went 3 for 4 with three runs and three runs batted in to help the Cubs avoid a three-game sweep. Colin Rea (7-3) won his third straight start with a three-hitter over a season-high seven innings, and Minnesota native Michael Busch added two runs batted in. Rea allowed only a fifth-inning home run by Kody Clemens, as the 35-year-old right-hander turned in his longest start since seven shutout innings for Milwaukee last Aug. 18. Paddack, who considers Rea a mentor dating to their time together with San Diego for his advice on recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery, gave up 11 hits and six runs. He is 1-5 in his last 10 starts, with the Twins winning three. Spencer Steer homered and Nick Lodolo pitched six strong innings as Cincinnati beat Miami to earn a split in the four-game series. Elly De La Cruz singled for his 100th hit of the season, stole second, and scored on Austin Hays's single to put Cincinnati ahead 1-0 in the first. Steer's solo home run, his 11th of the season, made the score 2-0 in the second. Cal Quantrill retired 11 straight following Steer's homer, but the Reds loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Lodolo (6-6) allowed only three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. It's the seventh time this season that the Reds' lefty allowed one run or fewer. De La Cruz singled in a run and TJ Friedl raced home on a throwing error by right fielder Dane Myers to make it 4-0 in the sixth. Hays followed with a two-run single. Quantrill (3-8) pitched five-plus innings and allowed five earned runs, the most since April 19 when he allowed seven at Philadelphia. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a go-ahead two-run double during a three-run seventh inning, and Boston earned their season-high seventh straight win by beating Tampa Bay. Boston starter Walker Buehler gave up three runs off five hits, including two home runs, over six innings. Chris Murphy (1-0) and Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, and Aroldis Chapman struck out two in the ninth to pick up his 16th save and 1300th strikeout. Junior Caminero hit a two-run home run, and Ha-Seong Kim added a solo homer for the Rays. Tampa's Taj Bradley allowed one run off two hits over six innings, striking out five. But reliever Bryan Baker (3-3), who was making his Rays debut after being traded by the Baltimore Orioles, surrendered all three Boston runs in the seventh. Jordan Westburg homered and drove in three runs as Baltimore defeated New York to sweep a doubleheader. Alex Jackson doubled twice and scored two runs in his Baltimore debut to help the Orioles win for the fifth time in six games. They took both ends of a twinbill for the first time since June 2016 against Tampa Bay at home. In the opener, Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run drive in the eighth inning for his first career pinch-hit homer, sending Baltimore to a 3-1 victory. The split-admission doubleheader was scheduled to make up Wednesday night's game, which was postponed due to a forecast of inclement weather.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Crow-Armstrong homers twice as Cubs top Twins to deny series sweep
Minnesota Twins center fielder Harrison Bader tries to catch a two-run home run by Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong during the third inning of a baseball game, Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs for his fifth multi-homer game this season, powering the Chicago Cubs past the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Thursday. Crow-Armstrong, whose first-half breakout earned him a starting spot for the National League All-Star team, went 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBIs to help the Cubs avoid a three-game sweep. Colin Rea (7-3) won his third straight start with a three-hitter over a season-high seven innings, and Minnesota native Michael Busch added two RBIs. Advertisement Rea allowed only a fifth-inning home run by Kody Clemens, as the 35-year-old right-hander turned in his longest start since seven shutout innings for Milwaukee last Aug. 18. Paddack, who considers Rea a mentor dating to their time together with San Diego for his advice on recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery, gave up 11 hits and six runs. He is 1-5 in his last 10 starts, with the Twins winning three. REDS 6, MARLINS 0 CINCINNATI (AP) — Spencer Steer homered and Nick Lodolo pitched six strong innings as Cincinnati beat Miami to earn a split in the four-game series. Elly De La Cruz singled for his 100th hit of the season, stole second, and scored on Austin Hays' single to put Cincinnati ahead 1-0 in the first. Advertisement Steer's solo home run, his 11th of the season, made the score 2-0 in the second. Cal Quantrill retired 11 straight following Steer's homer, but the Reds loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Lodolo (6-6) allowed only three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. It's the seventh time this season that the Reds' lefty allowed one run or fewer. De La Cruz singled in a run and TJ Friedl raced home on a throwing error by right fielder Dane Myers to make it 4-0 in the sixth. Hays followed with a two-run single. Quantrill (3-8) pitched five-plus innings and allowed five earned runs, the most since April 19 when he allowed seven at Philadelphia. Advertisement RED SOX 4, RAYS 3 BOSTON (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela hit a go-ahead, two-run double during a three-run seventh inning and Boston earned their season-high seventh straight win by beating Tampa Bay. Boston starter Walker Buehler gave up three runs off five hits, including two home runs, over six innings. Chris Murphy (1-0) and Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, and Aroldis Chapman struck out two in the ninth to pick up his 16th save and 1,300th strikeout. Junior Caminero hit a two-run home run and Ha-Seong Kim added a solo homer for the Rays. Tampa's Taj Bradley allowed one run off two hits over six innings, striking out five. But reliever Bryan Baker (3-3), who was making his Rays debut after being traded by the Baltimore Orioles, surrendered all three Boston runs in the seventh. Advertisement ORIOLES 3, METS 1, 1ST GAME ORIOLES 7, METS 3, 2ND GAME BALTIMORE (AP) — Jordan Westburg homered and drove in three runs as Baltimore defeated New York to sweep a doubleheader. Alex Jackson doubled twice and scored two runs in his Baltimore debut to help the Orioles win for the fifth time in six games. They took both ends of a twinbill for the first time since June 2016 against Tampa Bay at home. In the opener, Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run drive in the eighth inning for his first career pinch-hit homer, sending Baltimore to a 3-1 victory. The split-admission doubleheader was scheduled to make up Wednesday night's game, which was postponed due to a forecast of inclement weather. _____
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Crow-Armstrong hits 25 homer-25 steal mark for Cubs in 92 games, the 4th-fastest in MLB history
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong points while running the bases after hitting a 2-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong runs the bases after hitting a 2-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong watches his two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twin,s Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong watches his two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twin,s Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong points while running the bases after hitting a 2-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong runs the bases after hitting a 2-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong watches his two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twin,s Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has added a few more accomplishments to his breakout season for the Chicago Cubs. With two home runs that fueled an 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, the 23-year-old recorded his fifth multi-homer game in his 92nd game this season. That's the most by a Cubs player since Derrek Lee had eight in 158 games in 2005. Advertisement Crow-Armstrong also became the fourth-fastest player in major league history to reach the 25-homer, 25-steal mark in a season. Eric Davis (69 games in 1989), Alfonso Soriano (91 games in 2002) and Bobby Bonds (91 games in 1973) were the only ones who got there in fewer games. 'I've only been humbled by the names that I'm mentioned with,' Crow-Armstrong said. Crow-Armstrong went 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBIs against the Twins. He finished the series in third place in MLB with 27 steals, tied for sixth with teammate Seiya Suzuki with 25 homers, tied for fourth with teammate Kyle Tucker with 67 runs and seventh with 70 RBIs. ___ AP MLB:
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Crow-Armstrong homers twice as Cubs top Twins 8-1 to deny series sweep
MINNEAPOLIS — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs for his fifth multi-homer game this season, powering the Chicago Cubs past the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Thursday. Crow-Armstrong, whose first-half breakout earned him a starting spot for the National League All-Star team, went 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBIs to help the Cubs avoid a three-game sweep. Colin Rea (7-3) won his third straight start with a three-hitter over a season-high seven innings, and Minnesota native Michael Busch added two RBIs.
