Pete Crow-Armstrong's INTERESTING TACTIC when he's feeling good 🤣 | The Pat McAfee Show

0:00 Young Chicago Cubs star who just signed

0:02 a massive deal at the beginning of the season,

0:04 living up to the hype, enjoying a winning streak.

0:05 Ladies and gentlemen, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

0:08 Yeah, PCA.

0:10 I like that.

0:11 Wherewithal to clap for yourself.

0:13 Cuz if you didn't clap, you would have looked weird.

0:15 So, I appreciate you doing that.

0:16 We kind of put you in a little bit of a predicament.

0:18 I think you handled it well, just like you're handling the season well.

0:20 How's life, brother?

0:21 Seven-game win streak feels good, I assume?

0:23 Oh, every time, yeah.

0:25 Um It's fun playing uh fun playing good baseball at Wrigley.

0:30 It's fun uh you know,

0:31 we were just delayed for like an hour and hour and a half the other day,

0:35 but we still had 32,000 and it's always fun when uh you know,

0:41 when when the boys are coming up in big spots, you got everybody, you know,

0:44 1 through 13 in this offense kind of just

0:47 making it count when they're when they're called upon.

0:49 Okay, so seven-game win streak.

0:51 I don't follow many baseball seasons uh in my existence.

0:55 This year I am, though.

0:56 This year I'm in.

0:57 Mhm.

0:58 And I'm thankful for you and many of the lads

1:00 at the World Baseball Classic for that for me being in there.

1:04 Seven-game win streak.

1:05 Is this normal throughout a good season?

1:06 Like, what is kind of cuz you guys play so many games,

1:09 I assume you drop games and you just like don't kind of care,

1:12 you got to kind of kind of move on.

1:13 Is this a good length for a win streak

1:15 and what is the most you guys have experienced?

1:18 Uh I I mean, we had a I think we had a 10-game uh earlier this year.

1:23 Um you know, I mean,

1:26 you're taking you're really taking any you can you can get throughout

1:29 the course of the year your grand scheme of things, I mean.

1:32 Um you know, I seven seven's a lot.

1:36 So, you know, you walk away from each one of those games kind of you know,

1:40 feeling really good and celebrating those wins cuz they're hard to come by.

1:45 Um as you are probably starting to find out watching

1:47 watching the sport a little bit more is like you know,

1:50 we're playing a a division rival and and they were hot before they came here,

1:54 so um you know, they could turn it on at any point as well

1:57 and and it's just our job to kind of to kind of match that at any point.

2:02 Yeah, you're certainly doing that.

2:03 What if this just becomes What if you just win every game going forward?

2:06 That'd be crazy.

2:07 What if What if you just win for the entirety of the rest of the season,

2:09 you guys never lose again?

2:10 I guess that is possible.

2:11 Now, I think there's one side of the uh

2:14 the entire uh Major League Baseball that's doing great.

2:19 And then the other side of baseball is kind of ass right now.

2:22 Yeah.

2:22 AL ass league, what they're saying right now.

2:24 Woah.

2:25 That's what they're saying.

2:26 That's what they're saying.

2:27 But the NL is completely different story.

2:28 Go ahead, Tone.

2:29 Yeah, Peter, I do have a question.

2:30 Only three teams over .500 in the AL.

2:33 Oh, but look at that.

2:34 1 2 3 4 All five teams are over .500 in the NL Central.

2:37 Obviously, you guys are up at the top there.

2:39 Um, is that is that talked about at all

2:42 with you guys and just being in the NL Central

2:44 and how good the NL Central is right now or is

2:46 that something that you'll worry about farther down the line?

2:49 I mean, will we ever worry about it?

2:52 Probably not.

2:54 Um, you know, if anything,

2:56 it's it's it's fun to be a part of a division that that is uh you know,

3:00 kind of taking the game by storm this year with with a lot of fun call-ups

3:05 to to be aware of and and kind of Griffin and JJ Weatherholt and Sal Stewart.

3:12 Shoot.

3:12 Sal Sal's [snorts] balling.

3:15 Um, you know, I think it's just I think it's really good for the game.

3:18 I don't think the Central is really uh I don't know.

3:22 To to me, it's never felt like the division um until this year,

3:26 but everybody's everybody's really fun to watch and it's fun to be a part of.

3:29 So, at the end of the day, no,

3:31 we're we're never going to worry about um the standings until

3:35 they tell us where we're going to be seated in the playoffs.

3:38 I mean, the goal is to just make sure that you come out on top.

3:41 Now that the AL is ass right now, and it's good.

3:43 [laughter] They're bad.

3:44 They're bad bad over there.

3:45 You know, the NL Central, yeah, Skenes has cooked it.

3:48 Yeah, Skenes is starting to cook it.

3:50 Yeah, he's on the bump, so let's make sure got look alive out there, okay?

3:54 And you know, we Yeah, thank you, PCA.

3:57 You get it.

3:57 You understand.

3:58 They're dunking on people with cones right now.

4:00 I haven't really seen it, but I've I've heard the cone lore, yeah.

4:03 I have.

4:04 Oh, YOU DON'T WANT TO FEEL IT, BROTHER.

4:05 I'M TELLING YOU THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT to feel, PCA.

4:09 Now, I will say the Pirates aren't trying to feel any type of PCA way, either.

4:13 We got a Hembo stat cuz you're coming on the show.

4:14 We asked Defensive Run Saved, DRS Doctors, is a stat that dates to 2003.

4:19 That's 23 years ago.

4:21 Season record, 42 of them, okay?

4:22 Shout out to Andruw Jones.

4:24 That guy was a[ __] Spider-Man out there.

4:27 Season outfield record, 37, Kevin Kiermaier.

4:30 Pete Crow-Armstrong, he's currently on pace for 45.

4:33 You tell me, did you know about this stat?

4:35 And do you feel like you're having your best

4:37 defensive year or best year of your life thus far?

4:42 Um I I I'm aware of doctors, but I mean,

4:50 my job is just to go make sure the ball doesn't hit the hit the floor.

4:53 So, like wha- whatever whatever stats can

4:57 measure your defensive run saved, it's cool.

5:02 Um But, we we've been taking a lot of pride

5:05 in in other little like baseball-y things that that people may not Oh, yeah.

5:09 appreciate as much.

5:10 Yep.

5:10 Tell me these things so I can act like I

5:12 know what they are whenever I'm having conversations with people.

5:14 Yeah.

5:14 Yeah.

5:14 Yeah.

5:14 Yeah.

5:14 Yeah.

5:15 So, so when we're in LA, right?

5:17 Andy Pages or Andy Pages, the center fielder for the Dodgers,

5:20 um he threw two guys out at home plate.

5:24 Um there was just this relay where he kind

5:28 of like fielded the ball and threw it on the run.

5:29 And normally, you don't really see that from an outfielder,

5:31 but um when you got an arm like that, that guy,

5:34 he uh it was just in a super impressive play.

5:37 So, we're all we're all super focused on just like getting

5:41 the ball in clean to the right spot really quick and efficiently.

5:44 Um so, you know, like Wrigley's a tough place to play.

5:49 So, when you can take away runs, um,

5:52 that's huge cuz it's not always the easiest place to hit,

5:54 but um, you know, yeah, this yeah,

5:58 this was one of the more impressive things I've I've ever seen.

6:00 Like, I I feel for our third base coach here cuz he sees that ball

6:03 get get all the way to the wall just about and next thing you know,

6:06 it's it's in the shortstop's hands.

6:09 So, it's just rare that you see an outfielder make a throw like that and and I

6:13 think that is such an important part

6:15 of the game that that goes unnoticed sometimes or

6:19 So, is this a doctor's right here?

6:20 This is a doctor?

6:21 This is a doctor right It's got to be It's got to be.

6:24 I don't know I don't know enough about doctors to actually say that it is,

6:27 [laughter] but to me to me that's just a that's just a damn good play.

6:30 I like that you're learning constantly

6:32 learning and also complimenting somebody else

6:34 immediately upon us saying you might be the greatest in the history.

6:37 D But has a question for you, PCA.

6:39 Yeah, when your bat is as hot as yours is right now,

6:42 how do you kind of manage, I guess,

6:43 the aggression versus having maintaining that plate discipline?

6:47 Cuz when I'm out here playing whiffle ball and [laughter]

6:49 I want to swing at everything anytime I touch that ball.

6:52 So, how do you manage that?

6:52 How do you balance that?

6:54 Hey, I'm a lot I'm a lot like you.

6:56 I That's that's always been the hardest thing for me, really.

7:00 I mean, uh, I love to swing the bat.

7:03 I love to try and make stuff happen with the bat.

7:05 So, um, you know, I think the the plate

7:08 discipline was actually a little bit better, um,

7:11 like I I'd say a little over a week ago, but and and before that, but you know,

7:16 when I when I start feeling sexier

7:18 and and I do start putting more balls in play,

7:21 more balls in the air to the pull side, like, I do end up swinging more.

7:25 So, I'm inevitably going to chase more and that's just I

7:27 think that just that's something I got to accept about myself,

7:30 but um, I'm just I'm not going to walk that much, man.

7:34 But when the bat's feeling good, then then I got to let it rip sometimes.

7:37 Okay, you said when you're feeling sexier,

7:39 some days you just go ahead and walk [laughter] through that clubhouse,

7:41 you take a little look at the mirror.

7:43 Hell yeah, you Today's a good day.

7:44 Hell yeah.

7:45 Today's a good day.

7:47 Go out there and start swinging at everything.

7:48 I I enjoy that.

7:50 Did ABS affect you guys at the beginning?

7:52 You hitters?

7:53 Because I we thought Aaron Judge was

7:55 maybe overthinking the ABS at the beginning.

7:57 Maybe coming out if it's not a strike, it'll be able to get fixed.

8:01 If it's a strike, was that messing with anything

8:03 with you at all or is that just kind of us making up[ __] for you guys that kind

8:07 of stunk at the beginning and now you're doing great.

8:11 I mean, I I think if you look at like the numbers of or the success rate,

8:16 like I think catchers, maybe pitchers just cuz they probably challenge less,

8:20 have the best success rate, but I think it's catchers.

8:23 I think catchers are like 69% or something like that.

8:26 I forget the number.

8:28 There you go.

8:29 Makes sense.

8:29 I mean, I think as a hitter for me it's tough.

8:31 Again, like the the zone awareness is is something

8:33 that's kind of a work in progress for me.

8:35 So like um It definitely messed with me a little bit.

8:39 I was over for two to start the year on the challenges

8:41 and and I was just kind of like I'm never going to do this again.

8:44 um If I'm if I'm a guy like Aaron Judge who does handle the zone very well,

8:49 I if I was Aaron Judge at all,

8:50 I I'd be confident in every single one of my abilities,

8:53 but um I I our team's been pretty solid with it.

8:57 I I me not so much, but again, I'm not going to be the guy that's

9:00 like really making most of those challenges at all.

9:03 Do you love it or hate it?

9:04 I think we've definitely seen some moments where it's been really good.

9:07 And then we've had like Honestly,

9:09 I I think we've had one game where it's where it's

9:11 kind of kind of come back to bite us in the ass, but like for the most part,

9:16 we we've made the most of the challenge system

9:18 and and made it work for for us and then you know,

9:20 like late innings having them is big, but with our catchers,

9:24 like our catchers have been so solid with that.

9:26 So I I trust those guys to kind of just go do it whenever.

9:29 What's that bat that got introduced to my life?

9:31 Torpedo?

9:32 Torpedo bat.

9:33 We use an Os.

9:34 We still using torpedo bats?

9:36 Many are.

9:37 I not, man.

9:38 I I can't I can't I can't find I

9:41 can't figure out where the barrel is on those bats.

9:43 Like, it's just It's a sweet spot.

9:45 That's what it is, I heard.

9:46 I heard it actually makes the like Sorry, they just they move it down.

9:50 Like, they move the sweet spot a little lower and like closer to the hands

9:53 and that's just a weird concept

9:55 for for my brain and my hand connection to grasp.

9:59 Where she going?

10:00 We got we got a couple uh whiffle ball type bats.

10:03 Yeah.

10:04 Yeah, so We saw what all the guys who were cheating were doing.

10:07 They got a little different, you know,

10:08 they got this thing looking like a cricket stick,

10:10 but it's got a bigger barrel here from what I've been told.

10:13 And then this is old school here, just kind of the funnel effect,

10:15 you know, cuz you used to put cut off top of these, obviously.

10:18 Mhm.

10:19 And uh Of course of course put tennis balls in them.

10:21 Yeah, Louisville chugger right at the top of this bad boy here.

10:24 Yeah, this thing and then obviously a torpedo.

10:27 All right, you good?

10:27 All right, see you soon.

10:28 Hey, so this thing here it it was like a cheat code for a bit

10:33 and you're saying some guys just swing

10:34 differently and for you it's not like that?

10:37 I mean, I think the the point of it is to like move it's to move the density

10:43 of the of the like sweet spot down

10:45 in a way that it actually helps your your misses more.

10:49 So, like the balls you maybe wouldn't hit as well

10:51 with the with like the normal barrel um I'm pretty sure

10:55 you get more forgiveness or at least like a higher exit

10:58 velo or or better contact um on the balls you mishit.

11:03 So, I don't know.

11:04 I just don't like feeling like the barrel is closer

11:06 to my hands cuz that's usually when I get jammed.

11:08 So, Yeah.

11:09 Um Me, too.

11:10 It's just not a concept I can grasp.

11:12 So, are you guys allowed to use three bats if you can hold it?

11:14 Like, if you felt pretty comfortable, would you be able to cuz it feels like

11:17 this would be a massive much better success rate.

11:19 What is the biggest What is the biggest uh Is there a barrel

11:23 size Is there a barrel size like that you you have to Yeah,

11:25 cuz wouldn't we want that thing to be the biggest Is it minus three still?

11:29 Like Fred Flintstone.

11:30 BINGO.

11:31 YABBA DABBA DO THAT[ __] Can we Can we get that thing

11:34 like I'm hard to keep up with bat speed out of season.

11:38 No, not for BCA.

11:38 But what if you're if you're if you're if you're if you're jaw

11:41 How big is your bat allowed to be?

11:42 What is your bat?

11:43 What is a normal bat and how big is a bat allowed to be?

11:45 We're just trying to brainstorm here how you could become, you know,

11:48 maybe Mark Maguire without eating all the, you know,

11:50 same Yeah, yeah, it's the vegetables, the vitamins.

11:53 Yeah.

11:54 Well, I I appreciate you looking out.

11:55 This This could help me in the long run.

11:57 Um I swing I swing a 31.

12:02 So, that's 34 in 31 oz.

12:05 Um Like pant size.

12:07 That's standard.

12:09 That's Yeah, yeah.

12:10 Actually it's 34 31 and 1/2.

12:12 There you go.

12:12 Boom.

12:13 Yeah, that's that's close to what I swing.

12:15 That's just a half half oz heavier.

12:17 Um a cup.

12:18 I will be doing Yeah, sorry.

12:20 I do I have a cup in there.

12:22 Um [laughter] A lot of guys A lot of guys swing a similar size.

12:27 A lot of guys swing like a 33 and 1/2 31.

12:30 I don't know, man.

12:32 I have this Jose Bautista bat from when he played

12:36 and it's like It's It's like the Fred Flintstone club.

12:40 Like it's It is a dense piece of wood.

12:45 And I don't I don't know if it's legal anymore,

12:47 but I don't I wish I could tell you

12:50 what the legal limit was for for barrel size.

12:54 Uh 2.61 in in diameter, 42 in in length.

12:58 Okay?

12:59 Is that the girth there the diameter it's talking about?

13:02 That is the girth.

13:03 Okay.

13:04 So, 2.61 in in girth that these things can have.

13:07 And that makes sense.

13:08 You know what I mean?

13:09 Especially for you baseball guys.

13:10 That makes a lot of sense.

13:13 You know what I mean?

13:13 Peace out.

13:14 Pretty Pretty on brand, yeah.

13:17 You're the man.

13:18 Thank you so much for taking time.

13:20 Uh good luck to your Cubs as you guys continue on this win streak.

13:23 Hopefully a good time.

13:24 Maybe till the season's over.

13:26 And uh Yeah, yeah.

13:28 __] why not?

13:29 Could happen.

13:30 Why not?

13:30 Let's just not lose ever again.

13:32 Get the 2.61 lawn flossing.

13:35 Get this thing to 42.

13:36 Let's start banging balls all over towns, all over the place.

13:39 We appreciate you ladies and gentlemen.

13:41 That's Pete Crow Armstrong.

13:42 Yeah [applause] PCA.

13:48 [music]