It’s Musical Chairs Day at CHGO!
It’s Opposite Day! Today’s Spirit Week theme is Musical Chairs, so we’re sending some familiar faces to unexpected places. Please enjoy some fun combos up and down our show lineup! Watch on YouTube
👋 Good morning!
Well, congratulations to former Blackhawks Seth Jones and Gustav Forsling, as well as future Blackhawk Sam Bennett, along with the rest of the Florida Panthers.
What a series, what a season, and what a dominating finish to wrap up the Stanley Cup repeat.
As for the Edmonton Oilers, they’re in a somewhat recognizable but far less enjoyable spot than the post-2010 Blackhawks.
They’ve got a goalie issue to solve and contracts to sort, all while retooling under the direction of general manager Stan Bowman.
Why isn’t it as enjoyable? Well, it's tough to look on the bright side without a championship win. Plus, Connor McDavid is 28, and Leon Draisaitl is 29.
When the Blackhawks won their third Cup in six years in 2015, Jonathan Toews was 27, and Patrick Kane was 26. Tick tock.
⚾️ Summertime Sweepstakes ⚾️
Rate & CHGO are giving away a pair of tickets to the Rate Club for Cubs-Sox at Rate Field on July 26th.
All you have to do to enter? Download the Rate app and enter at:
No purchase necessary—just good vibes & great seats.
MVPCA
Pete Crow-Armstrong came to the rescue for the Cubs again last night, putting on a clinic in the eighth inning with a spectacular tumbling catch to rob Milwaukee Brewers 2B Brice Turang of at least a base hit, before clubbing an absolute no-doubter for an all-important insurance run in the bottom half of the inning.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell on PCA’s defense: “We’re seeing a center fielder that’s playing at as high a level as I’ve ever seen a center fielder play. Now, we’re [only] 70 games in or whatever, but how he’s playing it, it’s as good as I’ve seen.”
Counsell added: “I think all the pitchers who’ve been around for a while, like Caleb Thielbar—and he’s had some pretty good center fielders behind him as well—would tell you that.”Cubs radio play-by-play Pat Hughes after PCA’s 452 ft. HR: “It’s like we’re watching a movie starring Pete Crow-Armstrong in this eighth inning.”
PCA’s 2025: The Cubs’ sensational center fielder not only leads his team in home runs (19) and stolen bases (23), but he leads the entire National League in fWAR (3.9). Shohei Ohtani ranks second (3.8) with Corbin Carroll and Fernando Tatis Jr. tied for a somewhat distant third (3.3).
That’s not all in the slashline, either, which sits at a strong .270/.307/.550 with a 137 wRC+. It’s about the glove, where PCA ranks first among National League outfielders with 11 defensive runs saved, and second among all position players in Major League Baseball with 12 outs above average, trailing only Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
I brought this up on last night’s CHGO Cubs Postgame show, but it’s still pretty funny that the expectation for Crow-Armstrong coming through the system was that if he could just provide an OK presence at the plate, his defense and baserunning would make him relatively invaluable.
Fast forward to his age-23 season, and PCA is not only providing that supreme value in center field and on the basepaths, but he’s also proving to be one of the Cubs’ most essential bats in the lineup.
Now, Shohei Ohtani has begun pitching for the Dodgers again, which could eventually severely complicate Crow-Armstrong’s bid for the NL MVP this season. But it’s still a run we can enjoy in the moment.
Whether it's making an improbable play in the field look routine or smashing a ball halfway up the right-field videoboard, it’s something new seemingly every single night for the Cubs’ prospective first-time All-Star.
It’s no wonder, in MLB’s first All-Star Game balloting update, which was released on Monday, that PCA paced all NL outfielders with 1,126,119 votes.
GO DEEPER: The CHGO Cubs Podcast discussed PCA’s heroics and the Cubs’ complementary win on Tuesday night.
⚾️ FRIDAY 1:20 ⚾️
Join Cody Delmendo and CHGO Cubs Diehards at Murphy’s Bleachers at 10 a.m. this Friday before heading into Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs open a three-game weekend set against the Seattle Mariners!
UNINSPIRED: Things unraveled quickly last night for Shane Smith, who allowed five earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched for his worst start in a White Sox uniform. Every pitcher who entered the game for the Sox allowed a run, including shortstop Vinny Capra, who allowed two runs in the ninth inning.
The 12-2 loss dropped the Sox to 23-50 and extended their losing streak to six games. Looking for a silver lining out of this one? Me, too. I settled on the return of Lenyn Sosa from the injured list…until I saw that Brooks Baldwin, who was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move, hit two homers and a triple for the Knights last night.
SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON: According to one report from The Bigs’ Drew Stevens, the Bulls have already extended the contracts of EVP Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley. The news comes a couple days after ALLCITY’s Marc Stein reported that the organization was working to keep Billy Donovan in Chicago long-term.
In a word? Yikes.
Who knew that the “next 30 games” would turn into the next several seasons?
Our quarterback loves PCA.
Same, Caleb. Same.
— #CHGO Cubs (#@CHGO_Cubs)
4:53 AM • Jun 18, 2025
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