​Sep 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) acknowledges the crowd after stealing second base during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. It was his 40th stolen base. … | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Augustus Oswald, Site EditorThe Pete Crow-Armstrong season reached another historic point Thursday, but this milestone carried extra weight because it arrived on the same afternoon the Chicago Cubs secured their second consecutive postseason berth. Crow-Armstrong stole second base in the first inning of a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins, becoming the seventh player in Major League Baseball history to complete a 40-40 season.Sep 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) steals second base during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. It was his 40th stolen base. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesPete Crow-Armstrong Reaches 40-40 Milestone as Cubs ClinchThe 24-year-old entered the game with 45 home runs and 39 steals. One pitch after drawing a leadoff walk, he took off against Tyler Phillips and reached second before the Wrigley Field crowd paused to celebrate the accomplishment.A Historic Moment Before the Game Was Even UnderwayCrow-Armstrong’s 40th steal was the opening chapter of a day that would eventually secure Chicago’s place in October. He finished with 45 home runs and 40 stolen bases, joining José Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani in the exclusive 40-40 club. He is also only the third player in MLB history to hit at least 45 homers and steal 40 bases in one season, joining Soriano and Ohtani.PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG HAS A 40/40 SEASON! pic.twitter.com/Ltc5YX110L— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2026The Cubs’ front office has watched Crow-Armstrong’s rise from promising young center fielder to one of baseball’s most complete players. This rise already carried statistical weight beyond the power-speed numbers, with his fWAR chase earlier this month putting him within range of a threshold no National League hitter has reached since Bonds.“There are only so many guys in the game that can even think about accomplishing it,” Jed Hoyer said, according to ESPN.The Milestone Was Part of a Bigger Team AchievementCrow-Armstrong’s 40-40 accomplishment would have been noteworthy on its own. Instead, the Cubs clinched a playoff spot in the same game.Seiya Suzuki provided Chicago’s only home run, while the pitching staff protected a narrow lead to secure the 2-1 victory. The win guaranteed the Cubs one of the NL’s three Wild Card berths and sent them back to the postseason for a second straight year.Chicago has now reached consecutive postseasons for the first time since making four straight appearances from 2015 through 2018. That puts Crow-Armstrong’s individual breakthrough into a much larger team context.Crow-Armstrong’s Improvement Has C