As third base coach Quintin Berry restrained him, the Cubs’ newest superstar screamed, “Are you f—ing serious, man?” in the direction of third base umpire Malachi Moore. The assembled crew had missed an obvious balk by Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez that would have scored him from third and given Chicago a 1–0 lead in what was a scoreless game. As he continued to yell, manager Craig Counsell pointed at him and said, “Stop. Stop.” He didn’t. After the game, the 24-year-old outfielder would lament that umpires seem to “find new ways to screw something up every day.”
This is Pete Crow–Armstrong and he’s not particularly interested in hiding how he feels. That, as much as anything, is what makes him indispensable to Major League Baseball.
