CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said Monday that he regrets the words he used during a heated exchange with a fan.
The incident occurred in the fifth inning of Sunday's 9-8 loss to the crosstown White Sox at Rate Field. Crow-Armstrong was getting up from the warning track after making an unsuccessful attempt to haul in Miguel Vargas' two-run double when he was heckled by a woman standing beyond the fence.
The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong responded with a vulgar message punctuated by an expletive.
“I think I just regret my choice of words the most and who that affects in my life, directly and indirectly,” Crow-Armstrong said. "I don’t think that any of the women in my life would ever think that I would use those kind of words regularly, especially referring to them.
“So I’m just bummed out about the word choice, and that a bunch of little kids go and probably find their way to social media and see that as well.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he spoke with Crow-Armstrong about what happened.
“He made a mistake, and we’ve got to move on from it," Counsell said before Chicago's 9-3 loss to Milwaukee. “It’s a reality of this job. It happens. Fan interactions happen. You want to try to keep them positive, even when they’re not. Sometimes when it’s a really emotional situation, it’s difficult, but it’s still a requirement of the job.”
Crow-Armstrong is one of Chicago's biggest stars after hitting .247 with a career-high 31 homers and 95 RBIs last season. He also is one of baseball's best defensive center fielders, winning his first Gold Glove last year.
Crow-Armstrong, a first-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft, agreed to a $115 million, six-year contract with the Cubs in March. But he is batting just .229 this season after going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in the loss to the Brewers.
“Part of playing is that you’re going to hear some stuff that you don’t want to hear, and the job is to focus on what’s going on in the field and keep your attention on that,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said.
Crow-Armstrong's exchange with the fan was captured on video and widely shared on social media.
“That’s something I should be aware of at all times, that there will be cameras and such on me,” he said. “I’m not always going to let stuff like that fly either. It’s just about being a little more respectful and maybe killing somebody with kindness instead of matching their level of intent.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, center, cannot catch a two-run double hit by Chicago White Sox's Miguel Vargas during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, center, cannot catch a two-run double hit by Chicago White Sox's Miguel Vargas during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, right, cannot catch a two-run double hit by Chicago White Sox's Miguel Vargas during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Alex Newhook scored his second Game 7-winning goal of the postseason, this time 11:22 into overtime in the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.
Newhook drove up the left wing and as he approached the circle snapped a shot through a screen that beat goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen inside the far post. Newhook also scored the decisive goal, breaking a 1-1 tie 11:07 into the third period, in Game 7 of Montreal’s first-round series win over Tampa Bay.
Phillip Danault and Zachary Bolduc also scored for the Canadiens and Jakub Dobes finished with 37 saves.
Rasmus Dahlin forced overtime by tying the game 6:27 into the third period. Jordan Greenway also scored. Luukkonen finished with 22 saves.
The Canadiens advance to the Eastern Conference finals, where they’ll face the well-rested Hurricanes in a series set to open at Carolina on Thursday. The Hurricanes have swept each of their first two series, and been off since a 3-2 overtime win against Philadelphia on May 9.
Carolina’s 11-day break between playoffs games is the longest in NHL history.
The Canadiens advance to the NHL’s semifinal round for the first time since facing Vegas in the COVID-altered 2021 playoffs, in which Montreal eventually lost the Stanley Cup Final in five games to Tampa Bay.
This is the first playoff meeting between the two teams since Carolina beat Montreal in six games of a 2006 first-round series. The Hurricanes also beat Montreal in 2002, after going 0-5 against the Canadiens when the franchise was based in Hartford, Connecticut.
The Canadiens continue their upward trajectory a year after being eliminated in the first round by Washington.
Buffalo dropped to 1-7 in Game 7, including 1-3 in overtime.
The Sabres enter their offseason following a breakout year in which they won their first Atlantic Division title and ended an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought. Buffalo’s turnaround began in early December, when the team went from last in the East standings to finish second by going 39-9-5 over its final 53 games.
The Sabres’ first-round win over Boston was their first since 2007, and the team returns a young and talented group that reflects a promising future in Buffalo.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (23) celebrates after his goal during the second period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Montreal Canadiens right wing Zachary Bolduc, right, celebrates after his goal with defenseman Mike Matheson (8) during the first period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier (45) blocks a shot by Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) in front of Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) during the first period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson (53) and Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) battle for position during the first period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrates after his goal during the third period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
