Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was reportedly fined an undisclosed amount after a vulgar exchange with a Chicago White Sox fan during Saturday’s game at Wrigley Field. The 24-year-old was heckled after making a play in the fifth inning of the Cubs’ 8-3 loss, then answered with an expletive-laced remark directed at a female fan.
The fine was reported as undisclosed, and Crow-Armstrong said Monday he regretted what he said. “I think I just regret my choice of words the most and who that affects in my life, directly and indirectly,” he said. He added that he does not think the women in his life would expect him to use that kind of language regularly, especially toward them, and said he was also bothered that children could see the exchange on social media.
The incident lands at a delicate moment for the Cubs, who were 29-20 and trying to keep pace in a tight National League Central race with the Milwaukee Brewers at 28-18. Chicago was also scheduled to face Milwaukee again Wednesday at 7:40 p.m. ET in the final game of their three-game series, a reminder that the noise around one moment can follow a team straight into the next one. The Cubs lost 9-3 before that meeting, and manager Craig Counsell said he had already spoken with Crow-Armstrong.
Counsell described fan interactions as part of the job and said Crow-Armstrong had made a mistake. “He made a mistake, and we’ve got to move on from it,” Counsell said before the loss to Milwaukee. He said, “It’s a reality of this job. It happens. Fan interactions happen,” adding that players should try to keep those exchanges positive, even when fans are not. “Sometimes when it’s a really emotional situation, it’s difficult, but it’s still a requirement of the job,” he said.
The episode also comes with Crow-Armstrong in the middle of a season that has carried real expectations. He made his first All-Star team last season and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball. Last year, he hit.247 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI. This season, he had hit.229 with five home runs and 20 RBI in 49 games, production that underscores how much attention follows him now, and why a brief flash of anger became a much bigger story than one heckle at one game.
