CHICAGO – There is no way to know right now if what took place at Wrigley Field on Thursday night will go down as a turning point in this season for the Cubs. All that can be said in this moment is that it was precisely the category of win the ballclub needed after multiple weeks of frustrating, team-wide performance. Circle this win for now. That narrative can be revisited later on. “Hopefully we tell that story in October,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. This night’s story ended with Pete Crow-Armstrong flinging his helmet skyward as he rounded first base in the ninth inning, setting off the party after the Cubs pulled off a wild 7-6 walk-off win over the A’s. That snapped Chicago’s eight-game losing streak at Wrigley Field and – the North Siders hope – snapped the lineup out of its recent funk. Crow-Armstrong delivered the decisive single for the first walk-off hit of his career, capping off a furious four-run, seven-hit outburst in the final frame. That was more run production in one inning than Chicago managed in 15 of its previous 23 games. It was the kind of relentless rally that played a starring role when the Cubs rattled off 20 wins in 23 games between April and May. “For us to get that win is something we can build off,” Crow-Armstrong said. “But just kind of the reminder that this is who we are, that’s so important when times are like this.” And, of course, it was Crow-Armstrong in the spotlight right before the “W” flag was hoisted atop the old ballpark’s scoreboard. His game-winning single served as his final swing at redemption after an unfortunate play in the sixth inning marred lefty Shota Imanaga’s outing and had the Cubs potentially heading toward a sweep at the hands of the A’s. During the ill-fated frame in question, Shea Langeliers sent a pitch from Imanaga high over center field as dusk set in. Between a picturesque sunset and the arriving night sky, Crow-Armstrong peered up and simply lost sight of the baseball. He put his hands out at his sides and then to his head, confused, as the ball dropped to the grass behind him. “It’s one of the more helpless feelings in the world,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said.
