Look, if you're going to talk the talk in the winter, you'd better back it up come gameday. And that's exactly what Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong did on Friday night, scoring two runs and getting things started in the ninth as the team completed its come-from-behind win over the reigning World Series champs.
He didn't shy away from his offseason comments that enraged Dodgers fans ahead of this weekend's series in LA, either, doubling down on his love of Cubs fans and making it clear he has nothing but respect for the players in Dave Roberts' dugout. Regardless, fans showered him with boos throughout the night, cementing his place as a villain with supporters of the back-to-back champs.
“I wanted to make sure that the people on the other side of the field who I really respect knew where I was coming from, and that it had nothing to do with the people on the field,” Crow-Armstrong told reporters Friday pregame. “I wanted to make sure that nobody took it in that way, that I was going at the Dodgers ... Was I poking fun at Dodgers fans? Absolutely.”
Pete Crow-Armstrong gives Cubs fans love before win over the Dodgers
PCA did a little bit of everything in the victory, but the fact he was along for the ride when Dansby Swanson launched a two-run shot in the top of the ninth off Tanner Scott felt almost poetic given the fact Dodgers fans - and even the team's social media account - came at him after he punched out in his first at-bat.
A strikeout worthy of taking pictures and whatever. pic.twitter.com/w9wIVX8QDL
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 25, 2026
Cubs fans are no doubt aware it was against the Dodgers last spring that Crow-Armstrong launched his way into superstardom - and he surely hasn't forgotten, either. The Gold Glove outfielder embraced the fanbase that's loved him from day 1, even before he embarked on his breakout All-Star campaign that eventually led to his signing a six-year, $115 million extension with Chicago.
“It wasn’t the hottest start to my career, but I got loved the same way that I do today,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And even right now, when it’s been tough on me results-wise, all I hear running out to the field is, ‘Hey, we love you. We got you. The city loves you. You’re the best.”
