The Chicago Cubs continued their dominance over the White Sox with a 10-5 win Friday night on the South Side. The series opener was the first time since June 2008 that both Chicago clubs were above .500 when facing off, and the atmosphere was pretty much like a playoff game at Rate Field. The peak came in the seventh inning, when the Cubs had a 5-4 lead with two outs and the bases loaded, and Pete Crow-Armstrong due up at the plate.
It was the first sellout for the White Sox in 2026, and there is no denying that Cubs fans filled up the stadium. “PCA” chants flooded the South Side when the Cubs’ center fielder walked up to the plate in what was a surreal scene from the first game of this year’s Crosstown Classic.
Carson Kelly gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead with his infield hit that Miguel Vargas whiffed on at third base. Then, following the PCA chants, Crow-Armstrong delivered an insurance run, hitting a single to right field off lefty reliever Bryan Hudson, who entered the game with a 0.90 ERA in 20 innings to begin the season.
It was Crow-Armstrong’s lone hit of the night, but certainly a big one for the Cubs. It also continued his personal hot streak against the White Sox, as Crow-Armstrong has killed them since coming up to the big leagues. In 10 career games against the White Sox, Crow-Armstrong is now 15-for-41 (.366 BA) with a home run, four doubles, three triples, and 11 RBI. With runners in scoring position, he’s 6-for-12 against the White Sox. As for the team, the Cubs have now won 13 of their last 15 games against the White Sox.
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Since April 14, Crow-Armstrong has maintained a steady rate of success on offense following his abysmal start to the year. In his last 29 games, the left-handed batter has a 123 wRC+ with a slash line of .257/.348/.426 in 115 plate appearances. And as we saw with that RBI single on Friday, Crow-Armstrong is holding his own against left-handed pitching this year, posting a 113 wRC+ in 68 plate appearances, hitting .279 with a .353 OBP.
By the way, we all know Cubs vs. Sox will always bring out some hot takes, dumb takes, some valid takes, but holy shit did that loss on Friday night break some people’s brains because this simply cannot be a real thought.
Whether you think it’s a true rivalry or not, this is just not a genuine question. For starters, there are a lot of Cubs fans all over the country who show up to road games more than other fan bases. Secondly, is he really questioning why Chicago Cubs fans are going to a Cubs game being played in… Chicago?
Anyway, good to see Cubs fans showing up to support their guys on the South Side. That was a great win after blowing a 4-1 lead in the mid-innings.
