Pete Crow-Armstrong's two-homer day sweeps Dodgers, fuels MVP case

The Cubs didn't just beat the Dodgers three straight times, they did it with the best player on the field wearing pinstripes. Pete Crow-Armstrong opened the finale with a first-pitch home run to tie the game 1-1, then added a two-run shot later to help Chicago escape with a wild win and complete the sweep. According to reporting on the game, PCA finished 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs, and became the first Cubs player ever with back-to-back 25-homer, 25-steal seasons.

Barstool Chicago

@barstoolchicago

MVPete on the first pitch of the game.

That leadoff answer came right after Shohei Ohtani himself went deep to start the game, a 110.2 mph blast that briefly put the Dodgers on top. It set the tone for a series that turned into the year's unofficial NL MVP undercard, with both stars trading homers in the same building.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

LEADOFF SHOHEI

Crow-Armstrong wasn't done. He came back for a second homer, prompting a wave of Barstool posts practically live-streaming the MVP campaign in real time. "2ND HOMER OF THE DAY FOR PCA," read one Barstool Gambling post, tying his second blast to his 26th of the season. Steven Cheah called it flat out: "STATEMENT GAME FROM MVPETE."

Barstool Gambling

@stoolgambling

2ND HOMER OF THE DAY FOR PCA

Even Ohtani got in a late shot of his own, a two-run homer in the 8th that briefly made it interesting, but Chicago hung on to finish off the sweep and send the Dodgers to a sixth straight loss. Clark the Cubs mascot ran the flag out for the celebration, and Barstool Chicago wasted no time turning the page to bigger goals: "Sweep complete. Now let's go win a division and an MVP trophy."

The betting markets have noticed too. By the next morning, Crow-Armstrong flipped from the field-second option to the outright favorite for NL MVP, per Steven Cheah's DraftKings post. It's a stunning turn for a race that not long ago looked like Ohtani's to lose, with his two-way production still the gold standard in the sport.

The other half of the case is defense, and that's where Big Cat waded in against MLB insider Jon Heyman, who has publicly questioned whether WAR overrates Crow-Armstrong's glove work. Big Cat fired back that PCA's range in center is so good it's covering ground in the corners too, making right fielder Seiya look better than he otherwise would.

Big Cat

@BarstoolBigCat

Heyman should try watching PCA play defense. PCA is so good he’s made Seiya a good defensive player this year. He gets to the ball so quickly we’ve got dummies like this claiming he’s taking balls from left/right to increase his WAR. No one else is getting to those!

Whatever side of the WAR debate you land on, the sweep did its job. Chicago has now won 4 of its last 5 and continues to hold the top spot in the NL wild-card race, and the kid in center field just turned a three-game series into the loudest MVP pitch of his season.