CM Punk is 0 for 2 lifetime on Cubs first pitches turning into Cubs wins, but he keeps getting invited back anyway.
The Chicago native and WWE Superstar threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Chicago Cubs‘ Wednesday night game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field, this time showing up in a white Pete Crow-Armstrong jersey instead of a custom one with his own name on the back. On the mound, Punk pointed both thumbs at the “Crow-Armstrong” lettering before delivering the pitch, a clear show of support for the Cubs star’s MVP push.
Why Everybody’s Wearing a Crow-Armstrong Jersey Right Now
Crow-Armstrong has been the story of the Cubs’ season. Entering the day, he needed just one more stolen base to join the exclusive club of MLB players with 40 home runs and 40 steals in the same season, and he led every player in baseball with 10.6 Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs. Punk wasn’t the first Chicago sports figure to make the statement this month either. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Bulls players Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson all wore PCA jerseys and led chants from behind the dugout earlier in September.
He Didn’t Stop at the First Pitch
Punk stuck around long enough to take over the 7th inning stretch too, grabbing the mic for the “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” singalong and getting the Wrigley crowd going with, “All right, Cubs fans, I need you to get loud! Let me hear you!”
The rally didn’t hold. Miami had already gone up 3-2 by the time Punk led the singalong, and the Cubs couldn’t find an answer over their final three innings, dropping the game and falling to 87-71 on the season with a series loss to the Marlins.
A Repeat Performance, and a Rough Week for Punk to Get a Win Somewhere
This marks the second consecutive year Punk has thrown out a first pitch at a Cubs game. Last September, he wore a custom “Punk” jersey for the honor instead of repping a teammate. The timing lines up with a tough stretch for Punk in the ring too, coming off his WWE Championship loss to Sami Zayn earlier this month. A Cubs win would have been a nice consolation prize. Instead, he settled for leading the ballpark in song, which, for a guy who’s made a career out of commanding a crowd, might be the bigger win anyway.
