Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs

Shohei Ohtani showed exactly why he has won four Most Valuable Player Awards on Wednesday afternoon, sending a pitch from lefty Shota Imanaga rocketing into Wrigley Field’s right-field bleachers to open the series finale between the Dodgers and Cubs. And then Pete Crow-Armstrong showed everyone that this year’s MVP race could have a different result. In the home half of the first inning, Crow-Armstrong launched a leadoff homer of his own, connecting with a first-pitch fastball from lefty Eric Lauer. In what has been a statement series for the North Siders so far, Chicago’s star center fielder made a statement of his own with that powerful swing. And they each added a second blast later in the game to keep fueling this debate. “They were going toe to toe,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the Cubs’ 7-6 win completed a three-game sweep. “Obviously, there's a lot of talk about those two guys being the front-runners for the MVP. They both showed up, and you can see that they hear what's being said about them. And that was fun for the fans.” It marked just the second time in the past 50 years where both teams hit a leadoff homer at Wrigley Field. The only other time such an event took place was May 1, 2018, when Charlie Blackmon and Anthony Rizzo traded blasts in a bout between the Rockies and Cubs. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there has never been an MLB game in which two players who went on to finish in the top-10 in MVP voting that season both hit leadoff home runs. Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong are poised to be the first duo to achieve that niche feat. This also marked the first time in MLB history both teams led off with a left-on-left homer, per Elias. “Today just showed that both of them are superstars, especially Pete,” Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga said via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry. “I think once I’m done playing baseball, I’m going to talk about the fact that I got to play with such a great player.” Ohtani has to still be considered the favorite for the MVP Award, having picked up the trophy in four of the past five years and in the previous two with the Dodgers. Los Angeles' global superstar is a unicorn in the sport, providing a powerful bat on one side of the game and featuring an overpowering arm on the mound, as well. The catch in the MVP discussion right now is the fact that a left knee issue has kept Ohtani away from pitching since July 3, and his comeback timeline is a bit fluid at the moment.