The Chicago Cubs’ season has been a rollercoaster in 2026. After a blistering start that put them atop the NL Central, they’ve stumbled badly. But Monday night at Wrigley Field, a little magic returned — and it came in the form of a historic individual feat from their young superstar.
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit for the cycle in a 5-4 comeback win over the Colorado Rockies. And honestly, it almost didn’t happen.
The 24-year-old center fielder opened the game with a leadoff solo home run, then followed it with a triple to start the third inning. That triple was the key — the hardest piece of the cycle puzzle. Crow-Armstrong admitted after the game that once he had that triple, the thought of completing the cycle crept into his head.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it after the triple,” Crow-Armstrong told MLB Network’s MLB Tonight. “The triple was the one I was waiting for [Saturday] in San Fran. So yeah, it absolutely squeaked into my brain. I was seeing the ball well tonight. I didn’t let the thought of that get in the way of having good at-bats.”
That Saturday reference matters. On June 14, Crow-Armstrong had a homer, double, and single through his first three at-bats against the San Francisco Giants. The triple, however, eluded him — he struck out twice and never got a sixth at-bat. The near-miss clearly stuck with him.
On Monday, he didn’t waste time. After the triple in the third, he doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh. The cycle was his — the 351st in MLB history — and it helped power a late comeback. The Cubs trailed 4-2 before rallying for three runs in the ninth, stealing a win that felt more like survival than domination.
The team has struggled to recapture its early-season form. But moments like this remind everyone what the Cubs looked like when they were the talk of the league. Crow-Armstrong’s combination of speed and power makes him one of the most electric players in the game. His cycle wasn’t just a stat line — it was a statement.
With the Rockies in town and the Cubs clinging to relevance in the division, this kind of performance could be a spark. Or it could be another tease. Either way, for one night, the Wrigley faithful had something worth cheering for.
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