CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong is as emotional a player as there is in baseball. There’s no hiding what’s going on in his head. When there’s a tough strikeout or pop out in a big moment, it takes all of his power to hold back from slamming a bat or helmet, sometimes both.

But when Crow-Armstrong comes through for the team, the energy is both equal and opposite. In Wednesday night’s 4-3 victory for the Cubs to stave off elimination against the Brewers in the best-of-five National League Division Series, Crow-Armstrong’s two-out, two-RBI single in the first inning was the type of momentum-shifting hit that Chicago has been searching for this series.

Crow-Armstrong let out a yell when he reached first. It was a scream every Cubs fan could understand, one they’ve likely experienced themselves. There was a sense of relief among a group that knew they couldn’t waste that threat.

Instead of squandering a potential big inning, the Cubs had put up a crooked number. Instead of allowing starter Quinn Priester off the hook, the Cubs sent him to the showers after just 2/3 an inning of work.

“Yeah, if we could take the starter out of the game every first inning, I think we’d have a 150-win season,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Obviously, our goal is to play in a Game 5 here. I think anytime you get to make the bullpen work a little bit harder, it’s really good as you move forward.”



The hit felt like it changed everything in the game. Michael Busch had led off the inning with a home run. Nico Hoerner followed with a single, then Kyle Tucker drew a walk. After a great sliding catch by Sal Frelick to steal extra bases from Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ walked, seemingly putting all the pressure back on Priester.

When Carson Kelly struck out, it felt inevitable that the Cubs were about to waste a huge opportunity. Priester could have felt a sense of relief. With two outs, the inning could have fizzled. One run in that inning would have felt like a win for the Brewers. Instead, Priester left a cutter over the heart of the plate and Crow-Armstrong pulled it on a line to right.

“It’s huge,” starter Jameson Taillon said. “Pete can impact the game in a lot of ways, whether it’s defense, baserunning. But you know, let’s not forget, in the first half, he was one of our best hitters. One of the best hitters in all of baseball. So to get him going and get him involved is a big deal. And that was kind like the ‘shower ball’ there in the first inning to get their starter out. Just felt like that gave us a lot of momentum when we got that hit.”

Crow-Armstrong’s impact on the game didn’t end there. Two pitches later, he broke for second, and as catcher William Contreras rose to try and throw him out, Nick Mears pulled a 95 mph heater and the ball went to the backstop. Happ came into score and the Cubs added a fourth run to their ledger.

“We had Priester on the ropes,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And we have great at-bats getting to that point. Finishing an inning is important. Adding on runs is important. Those crooked numbers, super important in the postseason. Sometimes that’s the chance you get. We put up a big number in that inning and it held up.”

That fourth run proved to be the difference maker as the Brewers mounted a comeback late in the game.

Crow-Armstrong’s steal of second proved to be especially critical late. (Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)

“He steals second base, gets the catcher out of his stance and the run scored,” Hoerner said. “He’s just a guy that we know impacts the game in so many ways and can’t force that, but just him being a good version of himself impacts the game every single day.”

After the Brewers knocked out Matthew Boyd in the first inning of Game 1 of the series, the Cubs were able to return the favor. That, obviously, is a good recipe for success.

The Cubs couldn’t fully carry the momentum of Priester being removed. They didn’t score any more runs in the game and failed to deliver a crushing blow. But eking out a win and playing another game Thursday is better than having to pack up the clubhouse and heading home for the winter.

This version of Crow-Armstrong can change games for the Cubs, particularly as the offense has been stuck in neutral for much of the postseason. The four-run first is more than they’ve scored in any game in both the Wild Card Series and NLDS. Despite a few more opportunities, four runs would be all they’d get. And all they’d need.

“I’m gonna tell our guys it’s the first inning every inning tomorrow,” Counsell said of a club that’s now scored eight first-inning runs this series. “I think that’s our best formula right now offensively.”

In order to advance to the NLCS, the Cubs are going to need as much going their way as possible. They’ll need their Game 4 starter to give them a big outing. Boyd, whenever he pitches, will have to bounce back from his dreadful Game 1 start. The offense will have to come up with more clutch hits. And in order to advance, at some point, they’ll have to beat Freddy Peralta. Never an easy task.

But Wednesday’s win means one more crack at it for the Cubs. One more shot to give the Wrigley Field faithful something to stand up and cheer about.

Did Crow-Armstrong have a message for those fans?

“Yeah,” he said. “We’ve got more ball to play, for sure.”