A fan feels misled after trading in Pete Crow-Armstrong's first career home run ball for what he believed to be the rookie's game-used bat from the very same at-bat. Now, the Cubs have responded with their own version of the events.
The Cubs' number one prospect was called up earlier this week following Cody Bellinger's rib injury and on Thursday Crow-Armstrong started in center field against the Houston Astros. The left-handed batter hit a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. It also happened to be his first MLB hit.
Derek Mitchell was the fan who caught PCA's home run in the right field bleachers and in a recent interview with cllct Media, Darren Rovell's collectible media site, Mitchell says he asked the Cubs center fielder for the bat used to hit the home run, but that's not what he got back in return for the ball.
Via cllct.
After the game, Mitchell and his friends made a game plan, ranking the items that he should ask for in return. Topping the list? The game bat used for the home run.
“We go down there to the clubhouse, and he’s there, already holding the bat,” Mitchell said of Crow-Armstrong. “I asked him before we made the trade: ‘Is that the bat you hit it with?’”
Crow-Armstrong told him no, but that he would go get it for him, according to Mitchell. He returned with a new bat, which the outfielder gave to Mitchell, completing the trade.
However, after seeing the replays of PCA's milestone home run, Mitchell noticed that the bat he was given was not the same one used to hit the homer.
“It’s got pine tar all over it,” Mitchell said describing the bat he left the clubhouse with. “But the one he used throughout the game is, like, straight out of the box.”
Here is the other side of the story, which is pretty much PCA saying he wasn't aware the fan was asking for the specific home run bat.
cllct spoke to a Cubs team official who said he spoke to Crow-Armstrong to get his version of events. The rookie had a different account of the exchange, telling the team official he didn't hear the fan specifically ask for the bat used for his first MLB hit.
That bat is with Crow-Armstrong this weekend in Boston. "He wants to keep using it," the official said.
Crow-Armstrong started in center field again on Friday night against the Boston Red Sox and went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Nevertheless, the fan is still under the impression that he was lied to.
“I understand that it’s a huge piece,” Mitchell said, referencing the significance of the game bat to Crow-Armstrong. “But my only gripe is ‘why don’t you just say no?’”
(Previous Update)
Chicago Cubs rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong recorded his first hit in the major leagues and it was a big one, crushing a game-winning two-run home run that led to a 3-1 win and a sweep over the Houston Astros on Thursday at Wrigley Field. PCA's first hit in MLB snapped his 0-for-14 streak to begin his big-league career and he was able to get the ball back in exchange for the signed bat that he used. However, that feel-good story may not be true.
A fan posted a picture on social media of PCA's home run ball and then provided an update that the Cubs number one prospect traded in his game-used bat for the ball. By the way, it's Caden Greco's picture, but he said it was one of his classmates who ended up catching Crow-Armstrong's home run in right field.
After that post went viral among Cubs fans, internet sleuths began to question whether or not that really was PCA's game-used bat.
Here's the side-by-side view of PCA swinging, when he hit the home run and the signed bat he returned to the fan.
On the postgame show on the Marquee Sports Network, PCA was asked about getting the HR ball back and he said the following:
"I did. There were four guys who came in and brought it down. Couldn't be too much younger than me and had a nice little chat. They were very nice to bring it down. I told them it meant a lot and they understood, so I appreciate it.
Yeah, we traded the bat for the ball, so I thought it was a fair enough."
Here's that clip from Marquee Sports Network via Cubs Zone.
I mean, if you want to give PCA the benefit of the doubt you can argue that he said "the bat" which I guess is vague enough to think maybe it wasn't the same one he used to hit the home run. Yet, what sucks is that it does seem like the group of fans who met with the Cubs outfielder were under the belief that the trade was for said bat used to hit the home run in exchange for the ball and now it doesn't actually seem to be the case.
Listen, you can argue all day long that fans shouldn't get anything back and that it's the right thing to do to give the ball back without expecting something in return. I don't agree with that, but that's a topic for a different day, however, in this case it's a bummer if PCA lied to those fans and said he was giving them something and it wasn't true.
Maybe there was some miscommunication here and I really do hope that's what happened instead of the alternative, which is PCA lying to fans.
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