CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong slid headfirst into home and immediately popped up and flexed like a professional wrestler.

His celebration seemingly picked up steam as the roar from the Wrigley Field crowd reached a crescendo.

It was a perfect moment — and a reminder that Crow-Armstrong and Cubs fans are a perfect pairing.

This is a fanbase that was feeling a growing sense of anxiety as the team endured its worst losing streak of the season at exactly the wrong time.

But the man known as “PCA” helped ignite the crowd and he, along with his Cubs teammates, refused to let this lead slip away.

The Cubs were already winning 7-2 in the fifth inning when Crow-Armstrong scored from second base on a wild pitch, but that moment felt like the dagger in a crucial game:

Crow-Armstrong said he anticipated that play, knowing the ball can sometimes take wild hops off the Wrigley Field brick.

And when he saw Mets pitcher Clay Holmes forget to cover home, Crow-Armstrong morphed into Bears quarterback Caleb Williams:

“I was able to just kind of scan the field like our boy Caleb does, and, yeah, it was crazy,” said Crow-Armstrong postgame as he flashed a smirk.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he is one of the fastest players in the game. As the Kansas City Royals popularized during their recent heyday in 2014-15 — “that’s what speed do.”

“I thought he was fast,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought he was really fast. That’s a fun play. Those are the plays that I think makes speed so much fun to watch on a baseball field.

“You kinda see the play — everybody sees the play right in front of them, as Pete did. When you run that well, you catch a defender just not at full attention and you get an extra run.”

It electrified the 35,060 fans in attendance at the corner of Clark and Addison on a cool night in late September.

Crow-Armstrong is capable of bringing the energy to a packed house at Wrigley Field, but he knows he doesn’t have to.

“Wrigley’s already got it in ‘em,” he said. “Everybody that shows up — they’re ready to party. Everybody knows that we’re getting close to October baseball, and with that feeling in the air, being able to embrace that is the most fun thing ever.

“… I love playing here, and I love it more and more each day. That sounds cliche, but it’s so, so true.”

On a night where he went 0-for-3 at the plate, Crow-Armstrong was still able to make a major impact for his team — and serve as a focal point for fans and media during the win.

Throughout his breakout season, Crow-Armstrong has morphed into one of the most marketable stars in the sport. And in the process, he has connected with Cubs fans in a way rarely seen on the North Side.

The Cubs’ win over the Mets coupled with the San Diego Padres’ loss Wednesday lowered the magic number to two with four days remaining in the season. That greatly increases the chances of seeing playoff baseball at Wrigley Field for the first time with fans since 2018.

Crow-Armstrong and his teammates understand the gravity of the situation, and what it means for their city.

“I think playing here for visiting teams is tough for a number of reasons, but I think it’s super fun for us,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Being able to give these fans October baseball, that’s going to be real special. It’s gonna be special for me, experiencing it for the first time, and then Ian [Happ], being able to be back and doing it again.

“I just think that’s hugely important. We know how to play ball here. We love embracing everything that comes with this place. That goal is awesome. And then, you know, once accomplished hopefully accomplished just more business and more baseball.”