RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Chicago Cubs MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong let the umpiring crew hear it after they missed a clear balk call in the sixth inning of their loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Crow-Armstrong stood on third base in the top of the sixth inning after hitting a leadoff double and advancing a base on a Seiya Suzuki groundout. Trailing a run with two outs, Crow-Armstrong took a large lead off of third and broke towards home before returning to third base.
In doing so, he prompted Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez to hurry his delivery and lift his back foot—something the umpiring crew should have classified as a balk. They missed the call, though, and balks aren't reviewable. The Cubs didn't score that inning, nor did they for the remainder of the game as they lost, 2-0.
"They’re out there every day like we are," Crow-Armstrong said . "Their one job is to get calls right and if they get it wrong they're supposed to talk about it, figure it out and get it right. And they didn't. ... I think they find new ways to screw something up every day."
The umpiring crew owned up to their mistake after the game, sharing their side of the story.
"We just didn’t see it," crew chief Alfonso Márquez said . "After looking at the video [postgame], it looked like he stepped off."
Despite their loss, the Cubs still sit atop the NL Wild Card Standings, though they sit six games back of the divisional lead against the Brewers. Crow-Armstrong's frustrations may have come to a boiling point at the time of the balk, as he had a rough series in Arizona. He went 1-for-12 during the series, with his only hit being the double Wednesday.
Crow-Armstrong, despite his recent skid, has been one of the best—if not the best—players in baseball over the past couple of months. Crow-Armstrong started the year slow, posting a near league-average bat for the first couple months of the season, but leads the league in wRC+ since the beginning of June.
His 26 homers since then lead MLB , and his 20 stolen bases in that stretch lead the National League. In addition to his offensive excellence, Crow-Armstrong is the best defensive outfielder in MLB by a wide margin, and could be the best defender in the league.
The potential MVP's recent skid shouldn't be too worrying, as he has shown the ability to change games with his overwhelming impact on both sides of the ball.
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