As Pete Crow-Armstrong turns into a star for the Cubs, he's showing more emotion

CHICAGO (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong is flashing his talent — and showing more emotion.

The speedy Chicago Cubs center fielder beat his chest after he lined a triple off the glove of his White Sox counterpart, Luis Robert Jr., in the Cubs' 6-2 win over their crosstown rivals on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Moments later, Crow-Armstrong called himself safe at the plate when he scored on Seiya Suzuki's sacrifice fly.

Crow-Armstrong also drove in the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning double as the NL Central-leading Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox.

After a slow start this season, the 23-year-old has reached base in career-high 15 straight games. Crow-Armstrong is 11 for his last 21, raising his average to .290 and powering a Cubs lineup that had produced the second-most runs in baseball entering Sunday.

He also has 12 homers, 38 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 47 games this season, along with some flashy catches. There’s no reason for Crow-Armstrong, drafted 19th overall by the Mets in 2020, to hold back, especially in front of sellout crowds at Wrigley.

“I think that’s just who I am,” he said. “You don’t really have those moments where you really think about how you're going to react to a double of triple or anything like that. Nothing about this (stuff) is planned. I think baseball brings it out of all of us. It’s about the sport.”

Crow-Armstrong came to the Cubs in a 2021 deal that sent Javier Báez and Trevor Williams to the New York Mets. He got into 13 games in 2023, then played 123 last season with a .237 average and 10 homers.

“Knowing my role and what was asked of me early was one other bigger learning curves, but that’s only because I wasn’t playing well and I didn’t know how to impact,” Crow-Armstrong said.

Crow-Armstrong learned in a hurry. Cubs manager Craig Counsell has shown his faith in the Sherman Oaks, California, native, who batted leadoff on Sunday.

“That’s probably the best example of people giving me space, to fail first of all, but giving me every day, every chance that I’ve got just to be myself and play my kind of baseball,” Crow-Armstrong said.

As for his apparent role as an emotional leader?

"I think we have our fair share of dudes who like to let it pop,” Crow-Armstrong said. “You know when the time calls for it. ... Probably, you see a little bit more from me.”

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Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, right, celebrates with Seiya Suzuki, left,of Japan, after they defeated the Chicago White Sox in a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, right, celebrates with fans after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, during the sixth inning of a baseball game against Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong reacts after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong scores on a sacrifice fly by Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, during the first inning of a baseball game against Chicago White Sox catcher Edgar Quero in Chicago, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, center front, celebrates after hitting a triple during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is to rule on Monday in a case involving 10 people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, allegations her daughter said damaged her health and family life.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting “numerous malicious comments” falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.

FILE - French President's wife Brigitte Macron arrives ahead of the ceremony outside "La Belle Equipe" bar, Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 in Paris as part of ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)