Pete Crow-Armstrong May Not Be Human

While driving to Dayton recently for a college visit with my son, I ran out of all my go-to podcasts and dialed up one called “So Supernatural” that has a decidedly conspiratorial bent. One episode was about how the Apollo 20 mission was supposedly a cover-up for a trip to the dark side of the moon to explore ancient alien technology left there. Some believe we made contact with extraterrestrial beings, either on that mission or at some other point during the space race, and that those beings walk among us.

Needless to say, I was highly skeptical of that notion. Until Tuesday night.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been making superhuman feats look normal all season, but his performance in the series-opening win over the Brewers took things to a whole new level. Though it probably went overlooked in light of the events that followed, the first sign that he’s built for the big stage came when he grounded out to first base in the 5th inning.

Following Seiya Suzuki‘s go-ahead homer, you just knew PCA was looking to break the tie with his big brother. Their friendly competition has fueled both players this season, and that was evident when Crow-Armstrong took a pair of daddy hacks against Chad Patrick that ended in a disappointing result. The frustration wouldn’t last long.

“I was having a giggle with Seiya because he hit a homer and I had to match it,” Crow-Armstrong joked after the win.

In the top of the 8th with the Cubs leading 4-3, lefty-batting Brice Turang hit a backside liner to the gap that should have been an easy double. Until…no. Huh-uh, no one has that kind of range. I thought the ball had bounced before PCA snagged it a few inches off the ground and executed a perfect somersault. Statcast said it had a 5% catch probability, but, as my friend Sara Sanchez pointed out, that’s probably because those calculations factor in an uber-elite left fielder making the grab.

PETE.
COVERS.
ALL.

The crowd was chanting ‘PCA’ after this catch ? pic.twitter.com/xIAqAUcbXR

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 18, 2025

After recording the third out, Crow-Armstrong stepped in to lead off the Cubs’ half of the 8th against former Cubs great Rob Zastryzny. Still high from the incredible catch and chanting his initials, the crowd manifested a monster home run. Once again unleashing a G-hack on an up-and-in cutter, PCA hammered the ball off the videoboard in right for a 452-foot homer.

FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO FEET FOR PCA ? pic.twitter.com/JLthM8ETDd

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 18, 2025

It was the third-longest left-on-left dinger of the season and also happened to be a combination of PCA’s current jersey number and his old one. C’mon, tell me that’s not on some alien shit.

Although he might still be human after all, because he got a little flustered when it came time to take a curtain call, admitting afterward that he wasn’t really sure how to handle the situation. He opted instead to remain in the dugout, his joy radiating from his face like a (super)star. For as much as he flies around like a whirling dervish, the key to his success this season has been knowing how to stay within himself.

“I think those moments are the ones that I really need to slow down in and those are important to appreciate,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That was my first time really getting those kinds of chants and, yeah, definitely tried soaking it in. But that was very, very cool.”

His exploits pushed him to 3.9 fWAR, moving him ahead of the equally inhuman Shohei Ohtani for the best mark in the National League. PCA is also tied with Ceddanne Rafaela for most defensive runs saved (11) among center fielders, and his 12 outs above average trail only Bobby Witt Jr. (15) for most among any position. Add in his electric personality and performance, and it’s no wonder he leads NL outfielders in All-Star votes.

PCA will be an All-Star starter, a Gold Glover, and a Silver Slugger this season, and he’ll push for both a Platinum Glove and league MVP. As difficult as it will be to unseat Ohtani, who is now pitching again, I can’t imagine there’s another player in baseball who has made as much of an intrinsic impact as Crow-Armstrong. He’s a source of perpetual renewable energy, fueling his teammates like a battery and drawing a charge from them at the same time.

“Getting to high-five guys in the dugout and getting to celebrate everybody else’s successes…when the goal is to go out and win baseball games,” he told reporters when asked about that vibe. “Like I’ve said a lot this year, you have everybody playing hard; I think that probably brings me the most joy just because you get to share everything with everybody else.

“Their wins are my wins and vice versa.”

You know a player is special when it’s not just the fans who are in awe of what he does on a nightly basis. Even those who’ve been around the game at the highest level for a long time just have to shake their heads and look for ways to explain what they’re witnessing.

“He’s playing at as high a level as I’ve seen a center fielder play,” Craig Counsell said after the game.

“PCA is must watch television right now,” Justin Steele tweeted. “Every time he takes the field; stop what you’re doing and just watch. He has whatever “IT” is.”

Perhaps the clearest evidence that he’s not human came from starter Ben Brown, who has benefited from the presence of four other Gold Glove defenders behind him. Not only is the 23-year-old budding megastar capable of changing the game in multiple facets, he’s apparently able to bend time to his will.

“Every game he plays is like two games for a normal person, just with how hard he plays,” Brown said. “As a team, we’re just incredibly blessed to have him out in center field.”