The player in the on-deck circle is responsible for signaling the runner whether to slide into home or cross standing. Such details can be game-altering, and on Monday, it almost cost the Chicago Cubs the game. Though the Cubs ultimately extended their winning streak to six games, it wasn’t smooth sailing as a dugout video caught Pete Crow-Armstrong ripping into his teammate.
Against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, Pete Crow-Armstrong led the Cubs’ comeback as he scored the game-tying run. However, he was nearly thrown out as he crossed the plate standing, owing to a lack of signaling from Matt Shaw. Following his narrow escape, PCA lost his cool in the dugout and caught on camera screaming at the 24-year-old rookie.
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MLB blogger Dan Clark posted the video with the caption, “Is there tension in the Cubs clubhouse? Here’s footage of PCA screaming at Matt Shaw in the dugout for his lack of signaling in the on-deck circle, after PCA was almost thrown out at the plate. However, it does appear Shaw told him to slide to the outside part of the plate…”
With the Reds leading 4-3, Crow-Armstrong led off the bottom of the ninth with a triple to the center. After Dansby Swanson struck out, it was Nico Hoerner’s turn at the plate. Hoerner, who has been hitting .299 this season, went 1-for-4 with a single RBI against the Reds.
With one out, as the Reds’ reliever threw a cutter, Hoerner hit his third sacrifice fly of the season. As the baseball flew to left, Crow-Armstrong took off running. One of the fastest players in MLB, PCA, made it to the home plate to score the game-tying run. But barely so as he crossed the dish standing, on the verge of being tagged out.
In baseball, the player in the on-deck circle is responsible for telling the runner whether to slide into home plate. On Monday, that player was Matt Shaw. Shaw failed to forcefully communicate the slide, putting his teammate in immediate danger of making the final out.
When Crow-Armstrong reached the dugout, he let the rookie hear it.
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Crow-Armstrong now is the out-and-out locker room leader of the Cubs. Just over a month ago, the Cubs rewarded the Gold Glover with a massive six-year, $115 million contract extension, ensuring he stays in Chicago through his age-31 season. With that kind of money comes the ability to hold everyone in the franchise accountable. With an important play like that, a leader like Crow-Armstrong expects perfect execution, which Shaw failed to provide.
However, Shaw did not get his chance at hitting against the Reds. Following the game-tying run, Michael Conforto came to pinch-hit for the second-year major leaguer. Conforto wrapped up the game in favor of the Cubs with a 405-foot blast to lock the score at 5-4.
The Cubs have won 16 of their last 19 games since April 14, as they stand atop the NL Central with a 23-12 record. In his 144 plate appearances this season, Crow-Armstrong recorded nine extra-base hits with a .318 BABIP. He has clocked three homers and 13 RBIs while hitting .237. He scored one run on one hit against the Reds on Monday.
PCA has emerged as one of the key players for the Cubs, including the game-tying run against the Reds and the three-run blast against the Padres. As an elite center fielder, PCA has recorded only one error with an impressive .990 fielding percentage. Chicago fans love having PCA on their team, and he, too, loves them, perhaps more than his hometown, Los Angeles’ fans, who have almost declared war against him.
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The feud between PCA and the Dodgers fans knows no end
Despite Los Angeles being his hometown, neither Peter Crow-Armstrong nor the Dodgers fans hold much love for each other. So much so that it has now turned into a feud. It started with an interview with the Chicago Magazine in February. While speaking about his respect for the fans in Chicago, PCA took a jab at the Dodgers fans’ dedication to the game.
“They [Cubs’ fans] aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They are paying attention, they care,” PCA told the magazine.
Fans in LA did not forget those remarks. During the latest Cubs-Dodgers series at Dodger Stadium, the fans welcomed PCA with loud boos in each of his at-bats. However, it did little to stop the center-fielder as he walked once, recording a hit and two runs. As Crow-Armstrong set the stage for the Cubs’ victory with a single in the ninth, Swanson sent him on a trip around the bases, hitting the winning two-run shot.
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Following the game, PCA addressed his feud with the Dodgers fans and took the opportunity to shift the blame to them.
“If we’re going to be immature and childish about it, I’d say they started it,” PCA told the Los Angeles Times. “They just gave me an opportunity to kind of run with it.”
However, his hot-and-cold relationship with the Dodgers’ fanbase does not translate to the players on the franchise. PCA only holds respect for them.
Crow-Armstrong’s fights with fans and teammates show how badly he wants to win. The Cubs are in first place, so his $115 million contract is paying off. This dugout fight will either make the team stronger or hurt their chemistry, but the rest of the season will definitely be exciting.
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