Cubs' Crow-Armstrong hits 'cool' out-of-zone HR

CHICAGO -- Cubs halfway fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong thought it was "cool" to deed the farthest transportation from the onslaught portion for a location tally successful MLB this season.

The precocious fastball, from Pittsburgh Pirates starter Andrew Heaney successful the 4th inning Thursday night, measured 8.1 inches supra the borderline of the onslaught zone, the farthest transportation extracurricular the portion deed for a homer this year, according to ESPN Research.

Crow-Armstrong crushed it to close tract to interruption a scoreless tie.

"I'm conscionable committing to being connected clip for it," helium said aft the Cubs' 3-2 win. "He has a bully heater successful a debased slot. It presents itself with a batch of carry. I'm already reasoning connected top. Good to execute connected a transportation similar that."

The two-run blast was Crow-Armstrong's 18th of the season, each coming implicit the past 2 calendar months. He has been a bad-ball maestro this season, hitting pitches supra and beneath the onslaught portion for location runs.

"What you've seen successful 30 years of shot says it's hard to deed balls for location runs," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "He's proving maine wrong."

In summation to hitting the precocious fastball disconnected Heaney, Crow-Armstrong besides has 2 of the 5 location runs deed successful the majors this play connected pitches astatine slightest 3 inches beneath the zone, including 1 that was 5.8 inches beneath successful aboriginal May.

"Sometimes, helium hits them disconnected the crushed and sometimes, helium hits them implicit his head," Cubs reliever Ryan Pressly said. "I don't adjacent cognize however to transportation Pete, to beryllium honorable with you."

Crow-Armstrong is making a beardown All-Star lawsuit successful his 2nd afloat play successful the large leagues. In summation to the 18 location runs, helium has 21 stolen bases portion playing Gold Glove-caliber defence for the first-place Cubs. That discourtesy and antiaircraft operation has vaulted him to the apical of the National League successful fWAR. But it's those location runs that person been eye-opening.

"He's connected clip and that's allowing his A-swing to get off," Counsell said. "His A-swing tin grip tons of pitches."

Crow-Armstrong is tied for 2nd successful the NL successful RBIs with his teammate Seiya Suzuki, who besides homered Thursday. The 2 person been jockeying for the squad pb successful some categories. Suzuki has 17 location runs. It has created a amusive rivalry betwixt the 2 arsenic they've been portion of a unsafe trio, on with close fielder Kyle Tucker, successful the mediate of the Cubs' lineup.

"What I'm doing is conscionable contributing to the bigger picture," Crow-Armstrong said. "I'm inactive conscionable trying to play my portion due to the fact that that's what's worked truly good for us. On immoderate fixed day, I don't person to beryllium the guy. That's the coolest happening ever."