When Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong hits the ball, the opposing defense needs to get the out or get the ball back to the infield quickly, otherwise the speedster might score.
That’s exactly what happened Friday night against the Miami Marlins. Crowe Armstrong was batting first in the top of the third inning and hit a fastball into deep right field. Marlins right fielder Jesus Sanchez ran through the gap in right-center field, reached for the ball, but missed it.
The ball bounced off the warning track, off the wall, back onto the field and rolled toward center field, where Crowe-Armstrong took off running and Sanchez relayed the ball to the infield.
Crow-Armstrong was already near third base when the cutoff man received the throw, and when the ball was thrown from short right field to home plate, the second-year major leaguer had already slid in to score. Catcher Nick Fortes had no chance to tag out. Crow-Armstrong hit an inside-the-park home run, rounding the bases in 14 seconds.
According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Crowe-Armstrong ran from home to home in 14.08 seconds to be exact, the fastest a runner has rounded the bases this season and the fastest a Cubs player has run from home to home since Statcast began tracking player movements and performance in 2015.
Pete Crow Armstrong!
Home to home in 14.08 seconds
This is the fastest home run this season and the fastest by the Cubs per Statcast (2015) https://t.co/BUQ46qNfu8
โ Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 23, 2024
Maybe Tyreek Hill should challenge Crowe Armstrong to a competition instead of Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles, or with millions of dollars on the line, the Cubs outfielder might want to consider offering a competition to Lyles.
Amazingly, Langs said, Crow-Armstrong’s time around the bases was the third-fastest in MLB history since Statcast began tracking the data. Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton ran around the bases in 13.85 seconds on August 18, 2017. Buxton also beat Crow-Armstrong on October 2, 2016, running from home plate to home plate in 14.05 seconds.
Having multiple players sprint around the bases would likely be a logistical nightmare, but wouldn’t it make for some fascinating competition during MLB All-Star Weekend?