Crow-Armstrong Hits 40-40 as Cubs Clinch

Pete Crow-Armstrong joined baseball's 40-40 club by stealing his 40th base to go with a major league-leading 45 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs clinched their second straight National League wild-card berth with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday at Wrigley Field. The Associated Press reported fans chanted "MVP" after the first-inning steal off Tyler Phillips as the videoboard flashed the feat.

That double stamp is the board. Soft fantasy note only: 40-40 is not a free pass to invent October counting stats. Ride the clinch window, then reassess Wild Card Series roles.

Crow-Armstrong became the seventh 40-40 player, joining a list that includes Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. He had reached 45 homers Sunday at Cincinnati. Thursday's walk and steal gave him 40 steals in 47 attempts. Seiya Suzuki homered for Chicago. Matthew Boyd allowed one run over seven innings, and Ryan Zeferjahn closed a five-hitter for his seventh save.

Ian Happ tripled to start the sixth and scored on Nico Hoerner's single for the go-ahead run. Miami's Jakob Marsee had driven in a run in the third. The Cubs improved to 88-71 and locked one of the NL's three wild-card spots shortly after the White Sox clinched their own berth with a 9-1 win at Kansas City.

Cubs fans finally get consecutive postseason trips for the first time since 2015-18. Last year Chicago beat San Diego in the Wild Card round and lost to Milwaukee in the Division Series. Soft fantasy note only: treat Crow-Armstrong as the engine of this lineup until the clinch glow cools.

Marlins fans close another non-winning season. The visitors fall to 78-81 and head home to face Atlanta. Chicago faces a day-night doubleheader Friday at Boston after MLB shifted the opener because of a storm forecast.

The MVP chatter is loud for a reason. Forty-five homers and forty steals at age 24 is the loudest individual Thursday in the National League. The clinch is the team stamp that makes the individual stamp stick. Soft fantasy note only: start Crow-Armstrong everywhere until October roles are posted.

Cubs board

Crow-Armstrong: 45 HR, 40 SB (40-40). Leadoff walk, first-inning steal vs Phillips.

Cubs 2-1 over Marlins. Clinched NL wild-card berth (second straight year).

Also: Suzuki HR. Boyd 7 IP, 1 R. Zeferjahn save. Happ triple, Hoerner RBI single.

Fan closer

Believe the 40-40 board and the clinch, then watch how Chicago seeds the wild-card bracket before you spend October on one series script.