Before this season, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had walked 53 times in 293 career games.
He’s already at 59 walks with 50 games left in 2026.
Crow-Armstrong walked three times Sunday, including twice against former Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole. Over the three trips to the plate that ended with walks, Crow-Armstrong saw 25 pitches.
Manager Craig Counsell said Crow-Armstrong had “excellent” at-bats, swinging at and taking the right pitches. That started with his first at-bat, when he saw 10 Cole deliveries and successfully challenged on a 3-2 slider to reach base.
“The first at-bat is great,” Counsell said. “You throw up a 10-pitch walk on a starter for a game, it’s almost like you’ve taken an inning away from him. You’ve reduced the threat of seven innings [from the starter].”
It’s quite a departure from what Crow-Armstrong was in the past: a free-swinger who only walked occasionally. The transformation has impressed Counsell.
“That’s an incredible athlete, good baseball player,” Counsell said. “It’s a young man getting better at the game.”
Crow-Armstrong wasn’t as effusive about the day. He was disappointed the Cubs offense didn’t support starter Colin Rea and the pitching staff, and seemed unsatisfied with his own output.
“Today is a day where critical me would just be thinking about putting balls in play instead of just walking, and being on second base,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’m just slightly bummed with the runs that we put up today just because our guys went out there and threw the [heck] out of the ball the last two days, but today specifically.”
The Cubs were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.
Challenging moment
The Cubs should have tied the game in the sixth.
They had loaded the bases with two outs and second baseman Nico Hoerner was facing Yankees reliever Brent Headrick. Hoerner jumped ahead 3-0 and Headrick delivered a 94 mph four-seam fastball that appeared to be outside.
Home plate umpire Scott Barry called the pitch a strike and Hoerner did not challenge. On the next pitch, Hoerner flew out to center field to end the Cubs’ threat.
“I’m sure Nico has looked at it and is wishing he would have challenged,” Counsell said.
Despite having a good sense of the strike zone, Hoerner has struggled with the new review system. He’s only been successful on six of his 14 challenges this season.
Rea’s day
Rea struck out a season-high seven batters over 5 2/3 innings, including the first five hitters. He has a 3.20 ERA over his last eight starts, and has worked at least five innings in those outings.
The only real mistake Rea made was in the third when he gave up a two-run home run to New York’s Jose Caballero. Rea had been succeeding with his four-seam fastball and went to it down 1-0 in the count.
Caballero didn’t miss it, and delivered the Yankees’ only runs.
“Unfortunately, that was the game,” Rea said.
Officially the end
The Cubs traded Jameson Taillon and cash considerations to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash. Taillon, who was wrapping up a four-year, $68 million contract, was designated for assignment last Monday.