Nam Y. Huh/AP Photos
The fastball from Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney crossed the plate about shoulder-high on the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong. But despite the left-on-left matchup and the location of the pitch, Crow-Armstrong got off a smooth swing and launched the ball halfway up the right-field bleachers.
“What you’ve seen in 30 years of baseball says, it’s hard to hit balls for home runs,” manager Craig Counsell said after the Cubs’ 3-2 win against the Pirates Thursday.