n8rngtd.topPete Crow-Armstrong has a knack for hitting home runs on pitches out of the zone. In fact, he leads MLB in the quirky statistic.
Well, if hitting out of the zone homers is an art form for Crow-Armstrong, then he created his magnum opus during the Chicago Cubs' 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. Facing Pirates southpaw Andrew Heaney with one on and one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, Crow-Armstrong worked the count even, then got a four-seam fastball up in the zone—and I mean way up—on the fifth pitch of the at-bat.
The Cubs budding star turned on the ball, crushing it 393 feet to right field at a blistering 103.9 MPH.
Not only did the home run give the Cubs the lead, but it was also absurd, given the location of the pitch Crow-Armstrong hit. Here's a closer look.
The offering was nearly four feet above the plate. Crow-Armstrong's manager Craig Counsell was just as surprised as all of us that the Cubs star managed to hit the ball out.
Crow-Armstrong is in the midst of a breakout campaign in his second full big-league season. He owns a .271/.305/.554 slash line with 18 home runs, 57 RBI, 51 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. Crow-Armstrong, currently on pace for at least 40 homers and 50 stolen bases, is a safe bet to be a National League All-Star for the first time in his career.