Pete Crow-Armstrong’s grand slam in the eighth inning lifted the Chicago Cubs to an 8-6 lead and an eventual 13-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Armstrong hit two home runs with six RBI, putting him among the league leaders in both categories in what’s been an impressive start to his 2025 season.
Crow-Armstrong’s first homer was a two-run shot in the fourth that put the Cubs on the board after falling behind 4-0. Reds pitcher Hunter Greene threw a 100-mph fastball on the outside edge of the strike zone, yet Crow-Armstrong still pulled it into the right field seats.
The grand slam came with a bit more suspense to it. Crow-Armstrong yanked a hanging Tony Santillan slider down the right field line and seemingly willed the fly ball to go fair. The play was reviewed but the home run was upheld, giving Chicago its first lead of the game after falling behind by four runs twice to that point.
With 14 home runs, Crow-Armstrong is tied for third in MLB behind four players with 17 and another two who have 15. And his 45 RBI are also tied for third, just behind teammate Seiya Suzuki’s 46. Suzuki had had three RBI of his own in Friday’s win.
Just don’t ask Crow-Armstrong how he’s doing it. Asked what goes through his mind when he thinks about leading MLB in home runs since April 13, he replied, “Nothing.”
Rafael Devers tallies 8 RBI
Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong both trail Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers, who has 47 RBI after driving in eight runs in a 19-8 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the day.
Devers also blasted two home runs, the first of them a three-run shot in the sixth off Orioles reliever Gregory Soto. Soto’s slider caught enough of the inside part of the plate for Devers to crush to right-center field for a 6-2 Boston lead.
In the eighth, the Red Sox’s designated hitter drove in another five runs in two separate at-bats. He began with an RBI single that drove in Jarren Duran. Devers then returned to the plate with Boston leading 11-3, and Baltimore decided to use third baseman Emmanuel Rivera as a pitcher to give the bullpen a break.
Rivera tried to get by with arching eephus pitches but Devers timed the fourth one, which hung in the middle of the strike zone and was launched into the right field bullpen.
Devers’ big day came after Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman left the game after pulling his right quad muscle while rounding first base in the fifth inning. That immediately prompted questions as to whether or not Devers might return to his former position at third base if Bregman is sidelined for a while.
Yet Devers’ performance probably answered that by demonstrating emphatically how comfortable he is at DH right now. With 12 home runs, he currently ranks fifth in MLB to go with his league-leading RBI total.
In May, Devers is batting .419/.517/.757 with seven homers and 28 RBI. That 0-for-19 start with 15 strikeouts is long gone. And presumably, Red Sox manager Alex Cora is not going to mess with that.
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