Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Frustration Over Missed Balk Call

Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong lost his temper over what he believed was a missed balk call during a scoreless game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The incident, occurring in the top of the sixth inning, involved Crow-Armstrong taking a large lead from third base, possibly preparing to steal home.

Arizona pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez responded with a quick pitch while Michael Busch was at the plate. Crow-Armstrong was convinced Rodriguez had committed a balk, which would have allowed him to score and give Chicago the lead. The umpires conferred but concluded there was no balk, leading Crow-Armstrong to vocally express his frustration. The Cubs’ third base coach, Quintin Berry, restrained him, and manager Craig Counsell also intervened.

“I saw four umpires miss a pretty obvious play,” Crow-Armstrong commented after his team fell 2-0. “Their job is to get calls right, and when wrong, discuss and correct them. They didn’t.”

Crew chief Alfonso Márquez later admitted to MLB.com that a balk should have been called after reviewing the footage, stating the missed call was due to the umpires not seeing the proper foot movement. Despite intense discussions, no ejections occurred. The Diamondbacks eventually took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and doubled it in the eighth.

Crow-Armstrong accounted for one of the Cubs’ two hits in the loss. Chicago has dropped four of its last six games, reducing their lead in the National League Wild Card standings to just two games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies, who have won eight of their last ten games.

Mark Harris reports on these developments for OutKick.