Pete Crow-Armstrong went off in the minors, and the opposing team had no answer. He launched a home run Tuesday, followed by more damage Wednesday with a double off the wall, a single up the middle, and another homer carried by the breeze. By Thursday, he was still raking, driving a breaking ball into the gap for a double and following it up later with another homer that caught the wind. Friday came around and PCA opened the game with another hustle double, helmet flying off as usual. His next at-bat, former MLB pitcher Willie Peralta threw behind him, clearly frustrated. Tempers flared. Joe Maddon protested from the dugout, and another coach got ejected after a wild tongue-flailing rant at the umps.
The drama didn’t throw Crow-Armstrong off. He responded by crushing a home run and spiking the bat, taking his time around the bases with some extra flair. Tapped his helmet, pointed toward the dugout, even stuck his tongue out as a nod to the opposing coach’s meltdown. Later, he added another hit over the second baseman to drive in an RBI. On Saturday, he decided to bunt for a hit, then singled again. By the end of the week, PCA had stacked up extra-base hits, home runs, bunts, and staredowns. The other team couldn’t stop him, and their only answer seemed to be trying to hit him. He just kept producing.