Pick an achievement, and Pete Crow-Armstrong probably added it to his resume this year.
To name just a couple, he became only the second left-handed Cubs batter in franchise history to hit 40 home runs in a season (joining Billy Williams, who hit 42 in 1970), and he has effectively locked up the National League MVP award.
And on Thursday afternoon during the regular season finale at Wrigley Field, he became just the seventh player in baseball history to post a 40-40 season, with at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. Crow-Armstrong reached the 40-homer mark a little over a week ago, and he stole the last necessary base in the first inning Thursday.
He drew a walk off Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips to lead off the bottom of the first inning and was off on the very first pitch to Seiya Suzuki.
The Cubs had a graphic ready to go on the video boards and the game was paused for several minutes while the crowd — and Crow-Armstrong’s teammates — celebrated the achievement.
“Only so many guys in the game can even think about accomplishing that,” Cubs team president Jed Hoyer said. “To be the seventh person to ever do it, the list is pretty amazing.”
Crow-Armstrong joins a select group: Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña, Jr., Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco.
Like the rest of that group of players, Crow-Armstrong is a standout talent. He hits for power, has speed, and he is the best defensive outfielder in baseball.
“It’s the best position player season I’ve ever seen in my career,” Hoyer said. “He’s going to win the MVP, he’s going to win the Hank Aaron award, he’s going to win the Platinum Glove. To me that’s more impressive than any Triple Crown that we talk about.”
Crow-Armstrong’s accomplishments this season are a big leap forward from how he finished in 2025. Last year, he had a strong first half and then faded after the All-Star break, posting just a .634 OPS in the second half.
Even more impressively, Crow-Armstrong has boosted his walk rate from 4.5% last year to over 11% this season. Among other things, his improved eye at the plate has contributed to Crow-Armstrong’s growth as a hitter in 2026.
