CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s speed is electric.

Cubs fans have fallen in love watching him dart around the bases or dash for a ball in the outfield gaps. Quickness is a trait that has come to personify the Cubs center fielder, but despite that, he has a surprising mantra that he tries to follow. It’s one that he holds dear.

“My goal every day is to slow down a little bit more,” Crow-Armstrong said after a 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. “That’s my ode to [former Cubs third base coach] Willie Harris. Willie was so persistent in telling me that every day.”

Harris and Crow-Armstrong don’t mean it in the literal sense. After all, his blazing speed allows him to play defense at a special level. No, they’re talking about enjoying and absorbing the moment.

One such moment came in the top of the eighth inning Tuesday, when Crow-Armstrong sprinted and snagged a Brice Turang liner that seemed destined for extra bases. It was a jaw-dropping catch, as he glided to a seemingly unreachable section of left-center field and caught the ball before it bounced on the green grass — a testament to his reads and speed.

The 38,687 fans at Wrigley Field knew how special it was, and broke out in “P-C-A” chants after the play.

It was a special moment for Crow-Armstrong. and appeared to be the cherry on top of a special Cubs win. But he’s having one of those special seasons, and you almost knew more was coming, especially when he led off the bottom of the eighth.

Crow-Armstrong deposited Brewers left-hander Rob Zastryzny’s first pitch 452 feet off the right-field scoreboard for his 19th home run of the season. It was a 111.5-mph screamer — both the hardest-hit ball and the farthest home run of his career.

In the span of just a few minutes, Crow-Armstrong showcased two areas that have made his 2025 season special — elite defense and emerging offensive prowess.

“That’s why we come to the ballpark, to see things like that, to see great players do great things — for great players to do amazing things,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the win. “Pretty cool.”

Moments after Crow-Armstrong touched home plate, the crowd broke out in another round of “P-C-A” chants. As Brewers manager Pat Murphy trotted out to pull Zastryzny from the game, the fans changed their three-letter chant to “M-V-P.”

A brazen claim three months ago, but 73 games into the season, it’s hard not to pencil Crow-Armstrong’s name into the conversation for the prestigious award. He entered Tuesday with a 3.7 fWAR, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (3.9), who won NL MVP in 2024 and AL MVP in 2021 and 2023.

“I think those moments are the ones that I really need to slow down in, and those are important to appreciate,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That was my first time really getting those kinds of chants and, yeah, definitely tried soaking it in. But that was very, very cool.”

It was only fitting that Crow-Armstrong recorded the 27th out of the game — a fly ball from William Contreras. That sent the crowd into another frenzy as “Go, Cubs, Go” blared on the speakers. Crow-Armstrong took a second to bow to the fans in the bleachers and tip his cap as a token of appreciation.

“I’m still kind of new to the ovations and whatnot,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I don’t quite know how to like respond all the time. I want to give them their time to do their thing.

“Again, getting used to it. It’s becoming one of the cooler things, for sure.”

It’s become quite clear that plenty more ovations and chants will come his way. He’s having just that special of a season.