MVP resumes don’t get stronger than this.
“That’s the best year of baseball I’ve ever seen,” left fielder Ian Happ said.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs’ superstar center fielder who’s seemingly had the MVP on lockdown for a couple months, did something Thursday that only six other players ever had accomplished, joining one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs by stealing his 40th base and securing a 40-homer, 40-steal season.
He can now count himself among this group: Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Alfonso Soriano (2006), Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023) and Shohei Ohtani (2024).
It’s the cherry on top of what’s been a remarkable season for the 24-year-old, who has starred as the Cubs have chased championship-level goals.
Regardless of whether the Cubs take home a trophy at the end of October, Crow-Armstrong will need to clear room on his mantle.
“It’s one of those things where you’ve got to stop and pinch yourself and step back and go, ‘Man, we’re witnessing one of the all-time seasons in baseball history,’” starting pitcher Matthew Boyd said. “To get to [watch] it first-hand, you almost take it for granted, because you get to see the amazing stuff he’s doing on defense and offense every single night.”
But as Crow-Armstrong has spent the season doing unbelievable things, he’s spent it downplaying those things, too, instead choosing to prioritize team goals.
On the day he hit 40-40, he got to celebrate a team goal achieved, with the Cubs clinching a playoff spot with a win over the Marlins.
He was repeatedly doused in champagne by teammates in the postgame celebration, happiest, on the doorstep of an MVP, that his huge numbers mean he helped his team win.
“If I could do that every year, then I would be a pretty content person at the end of my career,” he said. “Talking about how I’ve framed this year and how I wanted to achieve things, just approaching every day with winning in mind has gotten me here, and it started all these conversations about MVP and all that crap.”
Unsurprisingly, all Crow-Armstrong is thinking about is more wins.
That would mean more champagne. Hopefully he’s OK with that.
“It stung more this year than last year,” he said. “I have more cuts on my body. I was maybe a little more sunburnt for this.
“I might just be too fair-skinned for all the showers, because it stings.”
Gausman in doubt for playoffs?
Will righty Kevin Gausman be able to pitch in an opening-round playoff series?
The headlining acquisition in the front office’s trade-deadline haul wasn’t feeling good a day after he banged his left shoulder while making a tag play at third base in Wednesday’s loss.
His comments Thursday didn’t do anything to assuage concerns that the Cubs could be without a critical piece of their rotation when the postseason begins Tuesday.
“Not great,” Gausman said when asked how he felt when he woke up. “I was pretty sore. I had a hard time sleeping.
“I’m pretty sore, but we’ll get some treatment today and take it day by day.”
Is there any doubt he’d be able to pitch next week?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m not going to make that judgment now. But I’ll do everything I can to be ready for whenever I’m asked to be ready. I can guarantee that.”
Twin-bill starters
There’s still much to play for in the Cubs’ final regular-season series against the Red Sox this weekend.
That set starts with a doubleheader Friday. Righty Clay Holmes and lefty David Peterson will start Games 1 and 2, respectively.
