NEW YORK \u2014 For a moment, Cody Bellinger thought former Chicago Cubs teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong might rob him of his first career three-home-run game.<\/p>\n
Crow-Armstrong nearly snagged his home run to right-center field during the eighth inning Friday in the Yankees\u2019 11-0 win<\/a>. A young Yankees fan caught it, likely preventing Crow-Armstrong from getting his glove on the ball, to give Bellinger the trifecta.<\/p>\n Of course, Bellinger texted Crow-Armstrong afterward about the play.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018My guy, what are you doing? You have enough five-star catches, you don\u2019t need another one,’\u201d Bellinger recalled Saturday morning with a laugh.<\/p>\n Bellinger downplayed whether his remarkable standout performance was a revenge game or felt sweeter coming against his old team, noting, \u201cI probably could\u2019ve done it against anybody and I imagine it would feel just as good.\u201d<\/p>\n Bellinger had already witnessed Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker prevent him from slugging his third long ball with a leaping catch over the wall in the seventh. He thought he might lose another home run when he saw Crow-Armstrong bolt toward the wall. Bellinger witnessed plenty of spectacular catches by Crow-Armstrong during his two seasons with the Cubs. He has been following Crow-Armstrong\u2019s success this year with the Cubs as the 23-year-old\u2019s performance has earned him a start for the National League in Tuesday\u2019s All-Star Game<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so proud of him, honestly, I\u2019m happy for him,\u201d Bellinger said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a good person, good kid and to elevate your game to a level that he knew was possible, to actually do it is very impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n When Bellinger opted in to his contract in November to remain in Chicago for 2025 \u2014 with another player option for 2026 \u2014 the 29-year-old believed this year\u2019s Cubs team had a lot of potential.<\/p>\n\n