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With 2 more homers, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong makes his MVP case

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CHICAGO (AP) — As Pete Crow-Armstrong came up with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, the Wrigley Field crowd chanted “M-V-P! M-V-P!” — and not for the first time Wednesday night.

The fans serenaded the Chicago star after his first home run, his 43rd to break Billy Williams’ Cubs record for left-handed hitters. They made their feelings known after his RBI triple and after his 44th home run.

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Even when Crow-Armstrong struck out on five pitches in the eighth, he still received a standing ovation on his way back to the dugout at the end of a 3 for 4 night with three RBIs and three runs in an 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves, his seventh multi-home-run game of the season.

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With Shohei Ohtani still on the injured list with right biceps inflammation, Crow-Armstrong keeps hitting home runs, closing in on the first 40-40 season in Cubs history, putting the finishing touches on his MVP case, at least as far as Cubs fans are concerned.

“You’re shaking your head in amazement, sometimes,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “In amazement. You know, you don’t get to see this. That’s what I told Alex (Bregman): ‘We don’t get to see things like this.’ You spend your whole life in baseball and you just don’t see this happen on a baseball field.

“You’re grateful to be a part of it. You’re grateful to see things like this. And then you’re grateful the fans get to see a season like this. They’re going to talk about it. They’re going to tell their kids about it. They’re going to tell their grandkids about a season like this.”

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Yet as he’s gone from breakthrough player to MVP candidate to MVP favorite, Crow-Armstrong has been unfazed by the pressure, his performance unwavering as the Cubs chase a wild-card spot.

“I keep it pretty simple,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I enjoy just kind of laying low, as I always do and always will. I’ve got a really nice support system.”

Only one home run behind Philadelphia‘s Kyle Schwarber for the major league lead, Crow-Armstrong is hitting. 283 with 105 RBIs, 29 doubles and 37 stolen bases to go with Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field.

Crow-Armstrong’s breakthrough season at age 24 has him at or near the top of every offensive metric in the NL while also tapping out the vocabulary of Wednesday’s winning starter, Shota Imanaga.

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“We can always say he’s great, or he’s excellent, but really there’s no words to describe him,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “So I’ll think of a new word in English for that.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

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“F**k you still stands” – Ilia Topuria sends stern warning to Justin Gaethje’s manager for mentioning his son

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It appears Ilia Topuria has been medically cleared to continue fighting, and ‘El Matador’ has now stormed back onto social media, accusing Justin Gaethje of foul play.

However, after Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, mentioned Topuria’s son during their online back-and-forth, the hard-hitting lightweight has now issued a chilling warning to the Dominance MMA CEO.

For context, after announcing that he was officially back, Topuria accused Gaethje of foul play, suggesting that ‘The Highlight‘ had tampered with his gloves to gain an unfair advantage. In a subsequent post, the former lightweight champion took aim at both Gaethje and his manager with an F-bomb-laden post.

Abdelaziz responded to the fighter’s insults, writing:

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“Welcome back Champ, I’m glad you are ok. I’m not going to give you the F word back because your son is my friend, and I cannot say bad words to his father. Tell him I said, ‘What’s up?’ He is the man.”

Safe to say Topuria did not appreciate Abdelaziz bringing his son into the conversation and hit back with a warning:

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“Don’t bring my son into this. You being his friend has nothing to do with me and you. You know exactly why I said what I said. So don’t hide behind him. F**k you still stands.”

Check out Ilia Topuria’s clapback at Ali Abdelaziz below:

Former UFC two-division champion Topuria was last seen suffering a TKO loss via corner stoppage against Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. As he gears up for his comeback, Dana White has hinted at a fight against Paddy Pimblett or a rematch with Gaethje as potential options.


What did Ilia Topuria accuse Justin Gaethje of?

It appears Ilia Topuria doesn’t believe Justin Gaethje won their UFC Freedom 250 bout fair and square. ‘El Matador’ seems to suspect that ‘The Highlight’ may have put “something weird” in his gloves during the contest.

In a post on X earlier this week, Topuria announced his comeback to fighting, claiming that he had completed his final medical tests. However, the fighter’s return announcement quickly turned to scathing accusations against the reigning lightweight champion:

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“Final medical tests done. I’m back. To all the clowns who’ve been talking s**t and counting me out this whole time, here I am. Now let’s see who’s got the b**ls. Thanks to everyone for the support. Next time I’ll make sure they check Justin’s gloves so he doesn’t put anything weird on them. See you soon.”