Pete Crow-Armstrong has etched his name in the Chicago Cubs record books.
The star centre-fielder hit for the 13th cycle in franchise history on Monday against the Colorado Rockies, going 4-for-4 in his first four at-bats with the single, double, triple and home run.
Crow-Armstrong completed the cycle in reverse order.
He opened the game with a leadoff blast against Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, driving the fourth pitch of the inning 434 feet into the centre-field bleachers.
Crow-Armstrong then continued to dominate the matchup with Lorenzen, tripling down the right-field line in the third inning and doubling to the wall in the fifth.
That all meant that Crow-Armstrong left the easiest leg for last, coming up to bat needing just a single to accomplish the feat in the seventh inning.
He finished the job with a 99.6 m.p.h. base hit into right field against Rockies reliever Brennan Bernardino.
Crow-Armstrong was then promptly picked off first base by Bernardino in a one-run game.
“My excitement was a little short-lived,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell quipped after his team scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 win.
“Earlier, it probably made me a little nervous," Crow-Armstrong said. "I felt like I ‘had to’ instead of ‘I get to' hit in this really cool moment with this crowd of 40,000 pulling for me. I think I'm learning to use that to my advantage instead of me shaking in my boots when I'm up there and wanting to get the job done so badly. It's also a regular thing at Wrigley. That happens a lot."
Chicago trailed 4-3 in the ninth inning before Pedro Ramírez hit an RBI single off Seth Halvorsen with the bases loaded and nobody out. Matt Shaw then walked on five pitches to force home the winning run.
Cole Carrigg's three-run homer off Caleb Thielbar in the eighth, his third home run in seven big league games, gave the Rockies a 4-2 lead. Crow-Armstrong's sacrifice fly in the bottom half pulled Chicago within one.
Daniel Palencia (2-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the Cubs (38-35).
Juan Mejia (1-6) took the loss for the Rockies (27-46).
Chicago starter Shota Imanaga allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings. He was lifted with two on before reliever Phil Maton walked Carrigg to force home Colrado's first run.
With the score tied 1-all in the sixth, Shaw tripled into the right-field corner to score Moises Ballesteros from first.
Crow-Armstrong's performance marks the first cycle by a Cub since Carson Kelly in March of last season and the first in MLB since Byron Buxton on July 12, 2025.
Before Kelly, the Cubs hadn't had a cycle since Mark Grace on May 9, 1993. The list of Cubs hitters to go for the cycle also includes Andre Dawson, Iván de Jesús, Randy Hundley, Billy Williams, Lee Walls, Roy Smalley, Babe Herman, Hack Wilson and Jimmy Ryan — who did it twice.
Just two Cubs centre-fielders have hit for the cycle since 1901: Crow-Armstrong on Monday and Wilson on June 23, 1930.
“I know it’s a rare feat," Crow-Armstrong said.
“I absolutely put up great at-bats tonight and I’m proud of the production that I’ve helped have over the past few weeks,” Crow-Armstrong said. “But you saw it tonight: The game’s not over until it’s over. I did everything I could to help the team. But I also had a real lapse in focus and that really could have hurt us tonight. That’s what I’m talking about. Not going to dwell on that. Something so simple as someone gets in your ear and says that can’t ever happen again, and it can’t ever happen again.”
Crow-Armstrong has a 19-game on-base streak dating to May 26, hitting safely in 18 of those games. He's batting .402 with seven doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 12 RBIs during that span.
The speedy Crow-Armstrong has once again been one of MLB's top outfielders in all facets of the game in 2026. He entered his historic night with an .806 OPS, 12 homers, 16 stolen bases and an MLB-best 14 defensive runs saved in centre-field for the Cubs this season.
It all comes on the heels of a 2025 campaign that saw the 24-year-old burst onto the scene on the North Side, earning his first career all-star nod, a Gold Glove award and a handful of down-ballot MVP votes.
— with files from the Associated Press
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