Pete Crow-Armstrong baserunning blunder reminds Cardinals fans of Cubs’ 2007 mistake

On Wednesday night, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong attempted to steal third base against the New York Mets. Michael Busch was at bat, and he took the full count pitch for a walk, but Crow-Armstrong was unaware and tried taking second base anyway. PCA touched the base before Bo Bichette tagged him, but he then slid off the base while Bichette kept his glove on.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, this isn't the first time one of their players made this simple mistake.

Crow-Armstrong was ruled out because he touched the base then was off once tagged. He was liable to be put out as a result of getting off the base despite being entitled to it due to the walk. This 2-6 "out advancing" at second base is the second time in recent memory that a Cubs player has made this blunder.

Pete Crow-Armstrong's baserunning blunder revived the time that St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina got a runner at second.

If the Pete Crow-Armstrong play feels like deja vu for Cardinals fans, they would be right. In 2007, the Cardinals were paying a visit to their division rival Cubs. In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs had a runner on first and a full count at the plate. Jason Isringhausen threw ball four, but Yadi still threw down to David Eckstein at second base.

Despite the runner beating the throw, Eckstein kept the tag on Ronny Cedeno as Cedeno slid off the bag. After much frustration from manager Tony La Russa and discussion by the umpires, the play was rectified, and Cedeno was called out at second. MLB Scoring Changes, a social media account that is dedicated to explaining MLB scoring changes, resurfaced this video of Eckstein's heads-up play from 2007.

A play like this happens so rarely that it's noteworthy. The fact that it's happened to the Cubs twice in the last two decades, once with the much-maligned Pete Crow-Armstrong, should be music to Cardinals fans' ears.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has become a punching bag of sorts for Cardinals fans, and it seems like he has a public blunder on a weekly basis. While his defense is Platinum Glove level and his bat has shown flashes of greatness, he can't seem to get out of his own way at times in the court of public opinion.

Earlier this year, PCA had some choice words for a female heckler while playing against the Chicago White Sox in the Southside. He whiffed on a fly ball against the Brewers, allowing a Little League home run.

Last year, Pete Crow-Armstrong caught a pop fly in deep center field against the Cardinals. He lost count of how many outs there were, and shortstop Masyn Winn, who was on second base, tagged up and scored from second on a sacrifice fly. He was able to beat PCA's throw home, adding to the center fielder's embarrassment.

In 2024, PCA came in on an easy pop fly to shallow center. He called off second baseman Nico Hoerner and proceeded to miss the can of corn, allowing two Cardinals to score and tie the game in the top of the eighth inning.

It's always fun seeing a rival's best player make mistakes. When it's the Cubs' best player, it's even more enjoyable for fans of the St. Louis Cardinals.

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