CINCINNATI - Pete Crow-Armstrong's towering flyball hung in the air for so long it seemed to defy physics. Then it clanged off the right-field foul pole, ringing in the young star's first career grand slam.
Facing the visiting dugout at Great American Ballpark, Crow-Armstrong beat his chest in celebration. Visiting Cubs fans chanted "P-C-A" before the at-bat and after the home run call withstood a replay review.
"I thought it was going foul, and then it didn't," Crow-Armstrong said after the Cubs' 13-6 win Friday against the Reds. "Glad we didn't have any Wrigley [Field] wind."
It was Crow-Armstrong's second home run of the game and gave the Cubs their first lead, as part of a six-run seventh inning. Crow-Armstrong drove in six runs in all, for the second time this season, already tying the Cubs' single-season record for games with six-plus RBI, according to ESPN.
In all, the Cubs tallied four home runs, with Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson, who extended his career-high on-base streak to 22 on Friday, joining in.
"All through the lineup, there's danger," manager Craig Cousell said. "And when you can do that, on a night like tonight, it shows up. It's just, make it hard every single pitch, every single hitter, to get through the lineup."
The Cubs scored 11 runs in the last three innings of the game. It was the third time this season that they'd scored 10-plus runs from the 7th inning on, already tying the franchise record for a single season (also 2023 and 1883), according to team historian Ed Hartig.
The Cubs faced Reds ace Hunter Greene in his first game back from a strained groin that landed him on the injured list two weeks ago. Batting eighth in the batting order, Nico Hoerner was the first to record a hit off Greene, roping a double to left field in the third inning.
In the fourth, the Cubs put up their first runs. Suzuki doubled, and Crow-Armstrong hit a two-run home run. After Michael Busch and Swanson drew walks, Hoerner was the last to face Greene. Hoerner worked a 12-pitch at-bat and popped out to end the inning but also bring Greene's pitch total to 83.
"Obviously would have liked to have driven in a run there, but that was a big deal to get him out of the game," Hoerner said. "Obviously, he's one of the better pitchers in our division. And nice to get into their bullpen."
In another example of taking care of the little things, early in the Cubs' seventh-inning rally, Hoerner bought the Cubs an extra out and run with his baserunning. He evaded Reds second baseman Matt McLain's tag to advance on a routine fielder's choice.
Cubs starter Matthew Boyd's pitch count climbed to 34 pitches in the first inning, as he faced eight batters and allowed three runs. But he rebounded to allow just one more run and pitch three more innings.