Before Pete Crow-Armstrong stepped into the batter’s box to face Cincinnati Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft on Wednesday night, the atmosphere at Wrigley Field had shifted from hopeful to expectant. The Chicago crowd, well-acquainted with the unpredictable nature of late-inning drama on the North Side, was buzzing. In the dugout, Cubs manager Craig Counsell shared a quiet moment with bench coach Ryan Flaherty, acknowledging the sheer unpredictability of the young center fielder.
“I told Flash,” Counsell said, “‘you just don’t know what’s going to happen when Pete comes up.’ It’s not supposed to happen, but then it happens.”
It happened in spectacular fashion. With the Cubs trailing 6-4 in the ninth inning, Crow-Armstrong launched a game-tying, two-run home run that erased the Reds’ lead and sent the stadium into a frenzy. The momentum carried into the 10th, where Michael Busch drew a bases-loaded walk to clinch a 7-6 victory. The win marked the Cubs’ third consecutive walk-off, their eighth straight victory and extended an improbable home winning streak to 14 games.
The victory cements a period of dominance at Wrigley Field that borders on the historic. Now 18-3 in their last 21 games and 17-5 at home—a home record the club hasn’t seen since 1985—the National League Central leaders are playing a brand of baseball that defies traditional win-probability charts and relies on a gritty, late-game resilience.
A Streak for the History Books
To understand the weight of a 14-game home winning streak, one has to look back through the archives of one of baseball’s oldest franchises. According to team historian Ed Hartig, the Cubs have achieved a 14-game streak at home seven times since the dawn of the Modern Era in 1900, with the most recent occurrence coming in 2008. While the 14-game mark is a significant milestone, it still sits behind the 18-game stretch of September 1935 and the all-time franchise record of 21 games set in 1880 at Lakefront Park.
Even more rare is the manner in which these wins have arrived. Beating a single opponent with walk-off victories in three straight games is a feat the Cubs have not accomplished since September 1943, when they did so against the New York Giants. The last time the Cubs managed three straight walk-offs against any combination of opponents was in June 2009, during a stretch against the White Sox and Cleveland.
For the players, the streak feels less like a statistical anomaly and more like a reflection of the team’s identity. “Just another night at Wrigley,” joked left fielder Ian Happ. Happ, who extended his career-best on-base streak to 27 games with a first-inning two-run homer, emphasized the psychological fortitude of the roster. “It was a excellent job of staying in it. It’s easy in that situation to be down. I think that this team has a lot of fight.”
| Era/Year | Home Winning Streak | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 21 Games | Lakefront Park |
| 1935 | 18 Games | Wrigley Field |
| 2008 | 14 Games | Wrigley Field |
| Current | 14 Games | Wrigley Field |
Defying the Statcast Data
While the emotional narrative of the game focused on “fight” and “magic,” the technical data reveals a player in Pete Crow-Armstrong who is mastering a very specific, difficult part of the strike zone. The slider he hammered into the left-center bleachers was tracked by Statcast at just 1.45 feet off the ground.
Attacking pitches that low is a rarity in the modern game, usually resulting in ground balls or swings-and-misses. However, this home run marked Crow-Armstrong’s sixth blast on a pitch no higher than 1.45 feet since the start of the 2024 season. Only Rafael Devers, with seven, has hit more home runs on pitches at that height across the league.
Counsell admitted he is almost amused by the center fielder’s ability to thrive in unconventional counts and heights. “I can’t explain a lot of his at-bats,” the manager quipped.
Crow-Armstrong was equally modest about the feat, attributing it to a combination of preparation and timing. “I think I’ve always handled the pitch down relatively all right,” he said. “Being ready for a heater and running into that [slider] is kind of how to explain that one.”
Overcoming the Ninth-Inning Collapse
The victory was not without its moments of peril. The game appeared to be slipping away in the top of the ninth when the Reds exploded for four runs to take a 6-4 lead. The Cubs’ bullpen struggled as Cincinnati pounced on relievers Corbin Martin and Hoby Milner.
The situation was exacerbated by a strategic constraint: closer Daniel Palencia was unavailable. Having been recently activated from the injured list, Counsell opted not to use Palencia on back-to-back nights, leaving the door open for the Reds’ offense. It was only after Carson Kelly sparked a rally with a single to right field that the stage was set for Crow-Armstrong’s heroics.
The drama extended into the 10th inning, introducing another human-interest element to the night: the return of right-hander Trent Thornton. Thornton, who had been sidelined since July 31 of last year due to an Achilles injury, was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday to replace Matthew Boyd, who unexpectedly landed on the injured list.
Thornton’s debut was a trial by fire. He entered the game in the 10th facing a two-on, no-outs jam. Despite the pressure, Thornton escaped the situation unscathed, providing the stability needed for Michael Busch to eventually end the game. Busch, who had delivered a walk-off single the previous night, drew a high-and-tight 3-1 pitch from Brock Burke with the bases loaded to secure the win.
“You feel like you’ve seen a lot of baseball games in your life,” Counsell said reflecting on the chaos and the eventual triumph. “And then you see stuff that you just don’t expect to see. But that’s why we love it, right?”
The Cubs now look to carry this momentum into the final stretch of their current series as they attempt to maintain their grip on the NL Central. Official updates on the roster, including Matthew Boyd’s injury status and further bullpen rotations, will be provided via the official Chicago Cubs team page.
Do you think the Cubs’ current run is sustainable, or is this a case of Wrigley Field magic? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
