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Author Archives: RJ Hamster
I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis.
I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God.
I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree.
Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons.
I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA.
While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon..
In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God.
We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987).
From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting.
Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.
I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects.
In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston.
In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018.
Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia.
In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey.
As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova.
Love and God Bless,
Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi
Late-game magic leaves them on verge of clinch
Wednesday, September 09
More magic in Milwaukee! Crew seals 90th win with dramatic flair
With the Brewers down to their final out in the ninth vs. the Cubs, Jackson Chourio launched a game-tying, two-run homer to set the stage for Luis Lara’s walk-off single in the 10th — Milwaukee’s 40th comeback win of the year.
YOUR NEWS
Crew hits 90 wins with latest rally that was ‘nothing short of electric’
Skubal’s longest Dodger start fuels LA’s season-high-tying 6th straight win
TOP NEWS
Schlittler’s latest dominant start clinches Yanks’ 34th straight winning season
Burnes pitches three scoreless innings in return from Tommy John surgery
Varsho leads charge as bottom of the order propels Astros to crucial win
Montes goes where no one’s gone before in Seattle with MONSTER homer
Bazzana’s big blast, Guards’ bullpen help secure key win in postseason push
STAFF PICKS
Documentary about 9/11 and baseball to premiere Thursday on MLB Network
As the 25th commemoration of 9/11 approaches on Friday, Major League Baseball’s role in helping the nation heal during the aftermath will be on display in several new films.
This trade was really win-win
With a six-player swap that wasn’t exactly a blockbuster, the Red Sox and Brewers pulled off a deal that turned out to be one of the most impactful moves of the offseason.
11 teams for 4 slots: The race for a Wild Card bye is on!
There’s quite a race for the top two seeds — and the byes into the Division Series that come with them — shaping up in both leagues.
How does PCA stay ready?
Pete Crow-Armstrong lets fans behind the scenes of his pregame and postgame recovery routines in this episode of Chasing 162, presented by Gatorade.
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TOP PERFORMANCES
Longest Home Run
Lazaro Montes
474 ft
4th Inning
Hardest Base Hit
Lazaro Montes
116.1 mph
4th Inning
Fastest Strikeout
Jacob Misiorowski
103.7 mph
1st Inning
Decisive Play
Brewers
49% WPA
9th Inning
MLB record 1,010 pitches at 100+ mph in ’26 (2nd: J. Hicks, 673, ’18)
MLB-leading 20th start this season with 1/zero runs allowed
5th with 40+ steals in each of first two MLB seasons (since 1898)
5th Japanese-born player with 30-HR season, second rookie (Murakami)
7-game hit streak to start career, T-4 longest in STL history (Modern Era)
PLAY A SPORCLE BASEBALL QUIZ!
MUST-SEE PLAY
It takes quick reflexes to snare a 96-mph line drive.
MLB NETWORK
MLB Network Showcase: Rays vs. Braves
Sluggers collide on MLB Network Showcase presented by CarShield as Junior Caminero and the Rays battle Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Braves at 7 p.m. ET (or Rockies vs. Yankees).
All-Day baseball on MLB Network
It’s Twins vs. Tigers at 1 p.m. ET, Rangers vs. Mariners at 4, Rays vs. Braves in the MLB Network Showcase at 7, and Reds vs. Dodgers at 10.
SCOREBOARD
CLE 9
BAL 5
MIN 3
DET 2
HOU 6
PHI 5
NYM 7
MIA 5
LAA 6
BOS 1
COL 3
NYY 5
TB 7
ATL 1
AZ 5
KC 3
PIT 9
CWS 3
CHC 3
MIL 4
WSH 4
SD 5
TEX 10
SEA 5
TOR 4
ATH 2
STL 1
SF 2
CIN 2
LAD 3
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How 1 trade built 2 of baseball’s best teams
Wednesday, September 09
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.
The Red Sox are very good. The Brewers are very good. And they have each other to thank for that.
Let’s take it back to Feb. 9, right before the start of Spring Training. That’s the day the Sox and the Brew Crew swung what’s turned out to be one of the most impactful trades of the year.
It wasn’t a Tarik Skubal-sized blockbuster … far from it. But it supplied key pieces for two of this season’s top playoff contenders.
This was the deal, to jog your memory:
- Red Sox receive: INF Caleb Durbin, INF Andruw Monasterio, INF Anthony Seigler, Competitive Balance Round B Draft pick
- Brewers receive: LHP Kyle Harrison, INF David Hamilton, LHP prospect Shane Drohan
Now let’s fast-forward seven months.
The Brewers have the best record in baseball. They’re the first team to 90 wins. And they wouldn’t be there without Harrison, who’s 10-4 with a 3.66 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 23 starts this season, or Hamilton, a perfect Brewers-style utility player who plays great defense, puts the ball in play and causes havoc on the basepaths.
The Red Sox have bounced back from an awful start to surge into American League Wild Card position. Durbin’s own surge has mirrored the team’s — after a tough first two months, he’s batting .288 with 11 home runs, 13 stolen bases and an .815 OPS over his last 90 games while playing great defense at the hot corner. He’s been a top-five third basemanover that time.
So we’re pretty confident in calling this a win-win trade. And that doesn’t happen all that often — especially not right away, in the first season following the deal. Jared Greenspan takes a look at how rare it is for a trade to pay off with so much immediate, Major League value on both sides.
You might be able to guess the No. 1 trade on that list (if you’re thinking about Juan Soto … you’re right), but there are some interesting other comps, so check that out.
And watch Durbin and the Red Sox take on the Angels tonight at Fenway Park (6:45 p.m. ET, MLB.TV). Harrison next pitches for the Brewers on Friday in Milwaukee’s series opener against the Reds (7:45 p.m. ET, Apple TV).
ELLY’S RECORD-SETTING ROCKET
If you want to see what a human bazooka looks like, well, here’s Elly De La Cruz:
We’ll give you a minute, because we know you’re watching that throw on loop right now. OK, ready? You probably want to know how hard that thing was now, right? We got you.
102 mph.
Yep, 102 mph. That’s Elly essentially firing a Jacob Misiorowski fastball from short center field to the plate — almost 200 feet away — to take a would-be inside-the-park home run away from Teoscar Hernández last night.
It’s the hardest tracked assist by an infielder in the entire Statcast era, which goes back to 2015.
Elly broke his own record … four times over!
And how does his relay stack up against all the other speediest plays in Statcast history? Check that out here.
GAMES OF THE NIGHT
Here are three games with playoff implications to watch tonight.
Guardians at Orioles (6:35 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The Guardians are within two games of the White Sox in the AL Central after star rookie Travis Bazzana led them to a key W last night. Today All-Star lefty Foster Griffin (15-4, 3.26ERA) gets the ball with the chance to keep the pressure on Chicago.
Astros at Phillies (6:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The Astros started off their crucial road trip with a big win over the Phils yesterday, and tonight’s game should be another good one. Both teams have their aces going. The Phillies, who remain a half-game ahead of the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot, send Cy Young contender Cristopher Sánchez to the mound against the Astros’ Hunter Brown.
Rays at Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network Showcase / MLB.TV)
The AL’s best team romped over one of the NL’s best in yesterday’s series opener in Atlanta, as the Rays handily dispatched the Braves, 7-1. But Atlanta didn’t lose any ground to the Phillies, who also lost, and will look to even the series tonight.
HOME RUN FEATS GALORE
It was a bad day to be a baseball yesterday. We got some big old home runs.
Let’s start with the biggest: Lazaro Montes hit a 474-footer.
The Mariners rookie absolutely destroyed a 116.1 mph, 474-foot home run to center field in Seattle — one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the Majors. In fact, Montes’ monster shot is the longest home run at T-Mobile Parkin the Statcast era. It’s also tied for the longest in the Majors this year with one by Fernando Tatis Jr. on July 21. Watch Montes’ homer here >>
Next up: Junior Caminero took over the AL lead.
The Rays All-Star passed Yordan Alvarez for the American League home run lead with his 39th dinger of the season. Caminero’s was also a rocket shot — 110.2 mph off the bat and 455 feet to left-center in Atlanta as Tampa Bay walloped the Braves. Watch Caminero’s homer here >>
Then there was Mr. Rocket Arm himself: Elly De La Cruz took Tarik Skubal WAY deep.
In the same game as his record-setting 102 mph relay to the plate, De La Cruz hit a huge home run off the reigning Cy Young winner for his 25th of the year. Elly’s blast went 444 feet into the night at Dodger Stadium — and he relished it with a 30.13-second home run trot. Watch De La Cruz’s homer here >>
And last but not least: Kazuma Okamoto made rookie home run history.
The Blue Jays slugger became the third rookie this season to reach the 30-homer mark, along with countryman Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox and Reds Rookie of the Year frontrunner Sal Stewart. This is the first time in MLB history that three rookies have hit 30 home runs in the same season. Watch Okamoto’s homer here >>
© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
Please review our Privacy Policy.
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Wednesday, September 09
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.
The Red Sox are very good. The Brewers are very good. And they have each other to thank for that.
Let’s take it back to Feb. 9, right before the start of Spring Training. That’s the day the Sox and the Brew Crew swung what’s turned out to be one of the most impactful trades of the year.
It wasn’t a Tarik Skubal-sized blockbuster … far from it. But it supplied key pieces for two of this season’s top playoff contenders.
This was the deal, to jog your memory:
- Red Sox receive: INF Caleb Durbin, INF Andruw Monasterio, INF Anthony Seigler, Competitive Balance Round B Draft pick
- Brewers receive: LHP Kyle Harrison, INF David Hamilton, LHP prospect Shane Drohan
Now let’s fast-forward seven months.
The Brewers have the best record in baseball. They’re the first team to 90 wins. And they wouldn’t be there without Harrison, who’s 10-4 with a 3.66 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 23 starts this season, or Hamilton, a perfect Brewers-style utility player who plays great defense, puts the ball in play and causes havoc on the basepaths.
The Red Sox have bounced back from an awful start to surge into American League Wild Card position. Durbin’s own surge has mirrored the team’s — after a tough first two months, he’s batting .288 with 11 home runs, 13 stolen bases and an .815 OPS over his last 90 games while playing great defense at the hot corner. He’s been a top-five third basemanover that time.
So we’re pretty confident in calling this a win-win trade. And that doesn’t happen all that often — especially not right away, in the first season following the deal. Jared Greenspan takes a look at how rare it is for a trade to pay off with so much immediate, Major League value on both sides.
You might be able to guess the No. 1 trade on that list (if you’re thinking about Juan Soto … you’re right), but there are some interesting other comps, so check that out.
And watch Durbin and the Red Sox take on the Angels tonight at Fenway Park (6:45 p.m. ET, MLB.TV). Harrison next pitches for the Brewers on Friday in Milwaukee’s series opener against the Reds (7:45 p.m. ET, Apple TV).
ELLY’S RECORD-SETTING ROCKET
If you want to see what a human bazooka looks like, well, here’s Elly De La Cruz:
We’ll give you a minute, because we know you’re watching that throw on loop right now. OK, ready? You probably want to know how hard that thing was now, right? We got you.
102 mph.
Yep, 102 mph. That’s Elly essentially firing a Jacob Misiorowski fastball from short center field to the plate — almost 200 feet away — to take a would-be inside-the-park home run away from Teoscar Hernández last night.
It’s the hardest tracked assist by an infielder in the entire Statcast era, which goes back to 2015.
Elly broke his own record … four times over!
And how does his relay stack up against all the other speediest plays in Statcast history? Check that out here.
GAMES OF THE NIGHT
Here are three games with playoff implications to watch tonight.
Guardians at Orioles (6:35 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The Guardians are within two games of the White Sox in the AL Central after star rookie Travis Bazzana led them to a key W last night. Today All-Star lefty Foster Griffin (15-4, 3.26ERA) gets the ball with the chance to keep the pressure on Chicago.
Astros at Phillies (6:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The Astros started off their crucial road trip with a big win over the Phils yesterday, and tonight’s game should be another good one. Both teams have their aces going. The Phillies, who remain a half-game ahead of the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot, send Cy Young contender Cristopher Sánchez to the mound against the Astros’ Hunter Brown.
Rays at Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network Showcase / MLB.TV)
The AL’s best team romped over one of the NL’s best in yesterday’s series opener in Atlanta, as the Rays handily dispatched the Braves, 7-1. But Atlanta didn’t lose any ground to the Phillies, who also lost, and will look to even the series tonight.
HOME RUN FEATS GALORE
It was a bad day to be a baseball yesterday. We got some big old home runs.
Let’s start with the biggest: Lazaro Montes hit a 474-footer.
The Mariners rookie absolutely destroyed a 116.1 mph, 474-foot home run to center field in Seattle — one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the Majors. In fact, Montes’ monster shot is the longest home run at T-Mobile Parkin the Statcast era. It’s also tied for the longest in the Majors this year with one by Fernando Tatis Jr. on July 21. Watch Montes’ homer here >>
Next up: Junior Caminero took over the AL lead.
The Rays All-Star passed Yordan Alvarez for the American League home run lead with his 39th dinger of the season. Caminero’s was also a rocket shot — 110.2 mph off the bat and 455 feet to left-center in Atlanta as Tampa Bay walloped the Braves. Watch Caminero’s homer here >>
Then there was Mr. Rocket Arm himself: Elly De La Cruz took Tarik Skubal WAY deep.
In the same game as his record-setting 102 mph relay to the plate, De La Cruz hit a huge home run off the reigning Cy Young winner for his 25th of the year. Elly’s blast went 444 feet into the night at Dodger Stadium — and he relished it with a 30.13-second home run trot. Watch De La Cruz’s homer here >>
And last but not least: Kazuma Okamoto made rookie home run history.
The Blue Jays slugger became the third rookie this season to reach the 30-homer mark, along with countryman Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox and Reds Rookie of the Year frontrunner Sal Stewart. This is the first time in MLB history that three rookies have hit 30 home runs in the same season. Watch Okamoto’s homer here >>
© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
Please review our Privacy Policy.
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The RJ Hamster morning Show
The RJ Hamster morning Show
Revelation 2:2 – Overcoming Human Nature: Love and Works in Christ’s Teachings
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Revelation 2:2
(2) “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
New King James Version Change email Bible version
The implication from Revelation 2:2, 7 is that the works of which Christ is concerned are the works of overcoming—overcoming human nature or, as in I John 2:15-17, overcoming “the lust of the flesh, the lust of eyes, and the pride of life.” In addition, we must work to overcome the persecutions, deceits, and persuasions of Satan and the influences of the world.
Using God’s love is hard work because there is a constant downward pull in these three areas: the self, the world, and Satan. The influence to go that way is always there. It is constant.
It was no accident, no coincidence, that Christ places the message to Ephesus first in order, and that its subject is love in context with overcoming. Christ says in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” It takes the love of God to keep the commandments in the spirit—in their intent—and it is love working and active when they are kept. I John 5:3 says, “This is the love of God, that you keep His commandments.” So, when we keep His commandments, we are expressing love. It is working, in action.
If a person’s love for Christ—keeping the commandments—diminishes, what happens? If the love for Christ diminishes, does that not imply the keeping the commandments will be less frequent? Doing the right works will begin to diminish. Here is the connection between love and right works. If the love is present, the right works will be produced.
If a person loses his love for Christ altogether, he is in bad trouble—”Goodbye, Christianity! Sayonara!” That is the end.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
Loving Christ and Revelation 2:1-7
Topics:
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After 99 days, No. 99 is back!
Tuesday, September 08
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.
You’ve heard the news — Aaron Judge is back.
After 99 days — yes, really — No. 99 returns to the lineup tonight for the Yankees’ series opener against the Rockies at Yankee Stadium (7:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV).
Judge is batting third and playing right field, and we can’t wait to see him back in the batter’s box. (Maybe no one’s more excited than Joey Votto, though, who’s out here calling Judge the greatest hitter of all time.)
But since Judge is jumping right into the heat of the pennant race — no rehab assignment, no nothing — we’ve got questions, too. Here are five big ones about the reigning MVP’s return:
1) Can Judge single-handedly swing the playoff race?
The Yankees are firmly in playoff position with 19 games remaining, but they’re only two games up on the Red Sox for the top AL Wild Card spot … and only four games back of the Rays for the AL East lead. Judge is the rare player with the power to turn the tide of those races, even in such little time. There’s a lot on the line here — at least home-field advantage for the Wild Card Series, and at most the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye if the Yanks can catch the Rays.
2) How soon before Judge looks like MVP-level Judge?
The extent of Judge’s impact obviously depends on how quickly he’s able to return to form. There are only three weeks left until the playoffs. How much of that time will we see peak Judge for? Will he at least be back to his old self by October? The Yankees need him to be.
3) Can his return jump-start the Yankees’ whole offense?
Judge is only one bat, but he’s a BIG bat. Will his presence in the heart of the Yankees’ order be enough to spark an offense that has scuffled without him? The Yanks ranked 26th in the Majors in runs scored in Judge’s absence (341 in 84 games, which comes out to 4.06 per game), and 27th in OPS (.680). As manager Aaron Boone said: “We’ve had long stretches where the offense has struggled. I think a big part of that is not having your guy.”
4) Will skipping a rehab assignment go smoothly?
Judge doesn’t think he needs a rehab assignment to get into the swing of things — as he put it, “I don’t see a point. Why waste at-bats?” However many he can squeeze into the next 19 games — 60? 75? More? — the results will tell the tale.
5) How careful will the Yankees be about his usage?
We’re curious to see what exactly the Yankees’ plan is for Judge. Will he play the whole game? Will he play every day? Boone says the Yanks might get creative to build up Judge’s stamina. We assume he’ll be a full go by the postseason, but what about right now?
GAMES OF THE NIGHT
Judge’s return isn’t the only big one on tap for tonight. Here are three other games to watch.
Astros at Phillies (6:40 p.m. ET, TBS / MLB.TV)
The Astros are trying to hold onto the AL West lead, while the Phillies are trying to fight off the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot — or, even better, chase down the Braves for the NL East crown. The Phils just earned a crucial split with Atlanta, and they play the Braves again right after this. But they can’t look past the ‘Stros, as the resurgent Andrew Painter takes the mound for tonight’s opener.
Cubs at Brewers (7:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
This will be Jacob Misiorowski’s final start of the season against the rival Cubs — at least, the regular season. The Cubs hung five runs on the NL Cy Young frontrunner last week at Wrigley Field in what was arguably Miz’s worst outing of the season. He could really use a bounceback here, especially with Chris Sale bearing down on him in the Cy Young race.
D-backs at Royals (7:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
Welcome back, Corbin Burnes. After a 15-month rehab from Tommy John surgery, the 2021 NL Cy Young winner will make his season debut for Arizona tonight. With the D-backs fighting for a Wild Card spot, their ace’s return couldn’t come at a better time.
THE POST-LABOR DAY PLAYOFF PICTURE
We want to give you a quick post-Labor Day rundown of the playoff picture, since we’re in the final stretch now. Here’s where things stand…
The tightest division races
• AL East: All three 80-win teams in the American League are in the East. The Rays (85-58) are four games ahead of the Yankees (81-62), and six games ahead of the Red Sox (80-65). The Yanks and Sox each have one series left against Tampa Bay.
• AL Central: The White Sox (75-68) are three games up on the Guardians (73-72), and the two teams play one more head-to-head series in Cleveland from Sept. 14-16.
• AL West: The Astros are the only team in the West with a winning record (73-71), but they’re just two games up on the Rangers (71-73). The in-state rivals have no more head-to-head matchups, though.
• NL East: The Phillies (81-63) are within four games of the Braves (85-59), and head to Atlanta for one last series this weekend. Philadelphia has a tough end-of-season schedule, though, with other series against the Astros, Brewers and Rays.
The state of the Wild Card races
• AL: The Yankees and Red Sox are way ahead for the top two spots, but the third and final spot is wide open. The Guardians hold it now, but the Blue Jays (72-73) are just a game back, the Rangers (71-73) are 1 1/2 games back, and even the Orioles (70-75) are only three back.
• NL: The Phillies and Cubs (81-64) are just half a game apart as they battle for the top Wild Card spot. The same is true for the two teams battling for the third and final spot. The D-backs (77-68) would be in if the season ended today, but the Padres (76-68) are right behind.
The race for the top seeds
• AL: The No. 1 seed is almost certainly going to come from the East, but the other first-round bye is up for grabs, with the Central-leading White Sox and the West-leading Astros only 2 1/2 games apart.
• NL: The Brewers (89-56), Dodgers (87-57) and Braves are all fighting for the two NL byes, with only 3 1/2 games separating the three teams.
PCA, JAVY BÁEZ AND A TRADE … AGAIN!
Pete Crow-Armstrong had quite the Labor Day weekend.
The NL MVP favorite belted his 40th home run of the season on Sunday, becoming just the 10th Cubs player to hit 40 and the first since Derrek Lee in 2005.
PCA also has a 40-40 season in his sightsafter another home run and two stolen bases yesterday, which gives him 41 homers and 35 steals on the season. Crow-Armstrong just needs five more steals over the Cubs’ final 17 games to become the seventh member of the 40-40 club.
And when he wasn’t mashing dingers and swiping bags, PCA was taking the time to reconnect with a young fan he first met when he was still in Double-A.
Perla Paredes has that story, which involved the perfect trade: PCA got a 1-of-1 Javier Báez card, and 11-year-old Crew Klein got a signed PCA bat. Sound familiar? Crow-Armstrong was traded for Javy — who was his favorite player growing up — when the Cubs got him from the Mets.
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