Is Pete Crow-Armstrong going to be a member of the 600-home-run club?
Is he going to launch 60 homers in a season?
With Sammy Sosa returning to Wrigley Field to a hero’s welcome Friday, there were comparisons being thrown around about whether the Cubs’ newest star and the most accomplished slugger in their history eventually will be put in the same bucket.
Sosa was appointment viewing for fans watching on TV, commanding attention each time he stepped to the plate, as onlookers held their collective breath for his next moonshot onto Waveland Avenue.
Crow-Armstrong — who’s wowing in even more ways than Sosa, making highlight-reel plays in center field and stealing bases, in addition to putting on a show with the bat — is a similar kind of must-see player.
‘‘Baseball’s got this pace to it, right? You can miss a little bit and still be all right,’’ manager Craig Counsell said before the game Friday against the Mariners. ‘‘[But] when Pete’s leading off an inning or when Sammy was leading off an inning, you’ve got to be in your seat.
‘‘I’m sure when Sammy played, or [now when] Pete plays, between innings, if you’re on the concourse, I’m sure there’s some conversation about that: ‘Hey, they’re leading off the inning. We’ve got to get back in our seat.’ They definitely share that in common. You’re going to get four or five shots [to watch them hit] a game, so you’ve got to make sure you’re in your seat for it.’’
Even though the comparison might be based on vibes as much as anything, Crow-Armstrong undoubtedly is doing some statistical damage in his breakout season. On Thursday, he became the fastest player in franchise history to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season, surpassing Sosa.
Sosa’s not mad about losing that record. It turns out he’s a believer.
‘‘Right now, he’s doing fantastic,’’ Sosa said Friday. ‘‘He’s swinging the bat very well. He already has a 20-20 [season], and I believe that it could be 30-30, 40-40. You never know.
‘‘He has the capability. He’s a very smart hitter. He uses the whole field. I believe he’s going to be tremendous.’’
Boyd bruised
Left-hander Matthew Boyd was removed from his start after five innings, done in by a bruised shoulder suffered while making a spectacular catch on a screaming line drive hit back to him.
He made the improbable play but caught the hard-hit ball up against his shoulder. It bruised, and the Cubs took him out.
‘‘He had a pretty big bruise on his left shoulder, kind of on the front of his shoulder, and it just stiffened up pretty quickly,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘There was no way he could go back out there.
‘‘It’s a bruise, so we’ll have to see. It’s going to be a swelling issue moving forward.’’
After the game, Boyd said he wasn’t concerned about the injury.
‘‘I don’t foresee it being an issue,’’ he said.
Bullpen blues
The Cubs’ bullpen has been mostly outstanding this season, but their relievers were tagged for seven runs and yielded three homers in the 9-4 loss to the Mariners.
All of the Mariners’ runs, including the two they scored against Boyd, came with two outs.