Pete Crow-Armstrong entered this season as one of the most exciting young players on the Chicago Cubs roster. Nobody expected him to spend the final weeks of September chasing Kyle Schwarber for the MLB home run lead.
Yet here we are.
Crow-Armstrong homered twice in Wednesday night's 8-4 win over the Atlanta Braves, pushing his season total to 44. Schwarber has 45.
Crow-Armstrong is making a run at Schwarber
Crow-Armstrong didn't waste much time making Cubs history Wednesday.
His first home run, No. 43 on the season, moved him past Billy Williams for the most by a left-handed hitter in a single season in franchise history.
Apparently, one was not enough.
Crow-Armstrong went deep again in the seventh inning, sending a 393-foot shot to right-center. He finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored, with an RBI triple mixed in for good measure.
The second home run also put him right behind a player Cubs fans know pretty well.
Schwarber leads the majors with 45 home runs. Crow-Armstrong has 44 with nine games remaining.
Of all the possibilities surrounding this Cubs season back in March, PCA chasing Schwarber for the MLB home run crown probably wasn't high on anyone's list.
PCA has more history within reach
Crow-Armstrong isn't just hitting home runs.
His triple Wednesday gave him 81 extra-base hits, another Cubs record for a left-handed hitter. He also has 37 stolen bases, which leaves a 40-homer, 40-steal season sitting right in front of him.
Even Derrek Lee's 46 home runs from 2005 aren't far away.
The best part for Chicago is that none of this is happening while the team plays out the schedule. The Cubs improved to 85-68 with Wednesday's win and remain in position for the National League's top wild-card spot.
That makes the final nine games a lot more interesting.
Chicago has postseason positioning to worry about. Crow-Armstrong has a chance to reach 40 stolen bases and continue climbing the Cubs record book.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, there's Schwarber.
The former Cubs slugger has been one of baseball's premier power hitters for years. Now Crow-Armstrong has put himself close enough that every home run from either player will be worth checking over the final week and a half.
Schwarber may still finish on top.
PCA is going to make him earn it.
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