CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong expressed remorse Monday for his language during a confrontational exchange with a spectator.
The altercation took place during the fifth inning of Sunday’s 9-8 defeat to the crosstown White Sox at Rate Field. After Crow-Armstrong failed to catch Miguel Vargas’ two-run double and was getting back on his feet near the warning track, a female fan behind the fence began heckling him.
The 24-year-old player fired back with profanity-laced language.
“I think I just regret my choice of words the most and who that affects in my life, directly and indirectly,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I don’t think that any of the women in my life would ever think that I would use those kind of words regularly, especially referring to them.
“So I’m just bummed out about the word choice, and that a bunch of little kids go and probably find their way to social media and see that as well.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed he discussed the situation with Crow-Armstrong.
“He made a mistake, and we’ve got to move on from it,” Counsell said before Chicago’s 9-3 loss to Milwaukee. “It’s a reality of this job. It happens. Fan interactions happen. You want to try to keep them positive, even when they’re not. Sometimes when it’s a really emotional situation, it’s difficult, but it’s still a requirement of the job.”
Crow-Armstrong stands as one of Chicago’s premier players following a season where he batted .247 with a career-best 31 home runs and 95 RBIs. The defensive standout also earned his first Gold Glove award last year as one of baseball’s top center fielders.
The first-round selection from the 2020 amateur draft signed a six-year, $115 million deal with the Cubs in March. However, he’s struggling this season with a .229 batting average after going hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts against the Brewers.
“Part of playing is that you’re going to hear some stuff that you don’t want to hear, and the job is to focus on what’s going on in the field and keep your attention on that,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said.
Video footage of Crow-Armstrong’s interaction with the fan circulated extensively on social media platforms.
“That’s something I should be aware of at all times, that there will be cameras and such on me,” he said. “I’m not always going to let stuff like that fly either. It’s just about being a little more respectful and maybe killing somebody with kindness instead of matching their level of intent.”
