Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman mirrored a legendary Willie Mays feat on Wednesday, fueling a historic offensive explosion to cement Chicago’s status as a National League powerhouse.
The Chicago Cubs are surely happy to have the duo Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman at the top of their lineup.
Crow-Armstrong and Bregman have been two of the hottest hitters in the sport since around the All-Star break. Crow-Armstrong is batting .280 with 20 home runs, eight doubles, two triples, 42 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over his last 42 games, while Bregman is batting .329 with 17 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, and 44 RBI over his last 47 games.
In Wednesday’s 8-4 win over the Atlanta Braves, Crow-Armstrong and Bregman did something that hadn’t been done in over 65 years.
The two Cubs hitters became the first pair of teammates to total three extra-base hits, hit a home run, and hit a triple all in the same game. They became the first teammates to do that since Willie Mays and Daryl Spencer did it for the Giants back on May 13, 1958 (according to OptaSTATS).
Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-4 with one triple, two home runs, and three RBI, while Bregman went 3-for-4 with one double, one triple, one home run, and four RBI. Bregman was just one hit away from the cycle.
These two hitters have carried this Cubs offense for most of the second half. Crow-Armstrong continues to put together an MVP campaign, and Bregman is showing why Chicago was so aggressive in pursuing him in free agency this past winter. Both players are why this team currently sits in the top Wild Card spot in the National League.
Crow-Armstrong also made some more history after his two-home-run performance on Wednesday night. His list of accomplishments continues to grow in a pretty historic season for the young 24-year-old.
- He now owns the franchise record for most home runs by a left-handed hitter in a season, passing Billy Williams’ 42-home-run campaign back in 1970.
- He tied Ernie Banks for the most home runs in a season by a Cubs player in their age-24 or younger season (44).
- This was his 10th career game with at least 10 total bases, the most all-time for a player before turning 25 since at least 1900 (according to Sarah Langs).
- His 81 RBI out of the leadoff spot set a Cubs record dating back to at least 1898 (according to team historian Ed Hartig via Meghan Montemurro).
- His 80 extra-base hits tie Billy Williams (1970) for most by a left-handed hitter in franchise history.
Crow-Armstrong and Bregman have both put the team on their back in the last few months. The Cubs are hoping that continues into the postseason.
