Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong loses review on a fourth-ball steal rule, a moment that spotlights an MLB baserunning wrinkle

A routine baserunning decision for the Cubs nearly became a lesson in how MLB’s rulebook treats oversliding on stolen bases. In the top of the seventh against the Mets, Pete Crow-Armstrong got on base via a walk and later attempted to steal second. The Cubs led 7-3 in the moment described, with one out and the play unfolding on what became ball four during a 3-2 count.

According to ’s account, the Cubs’ stolen-base attempt came on the next pitch that left the count at four balls. Crow-Armstrong reached toward second as Bo Bichette maintained contact by keeping the tag on him through the slide. Second-base umpire Stu Scheurwater initially called Crow-Armstrong safe, which would have put runners on first and second.

The Mets challenged, and the call on the field was overturned after the replay official reviewed the sequence. reports that the replay outcome hinged on Rule 5.09(b)(6), which is designed for a specific scenario: when there is a runner on first with three balls on the batter, the runner steals on the next pitch that becomes ball four, and after the runner has touched second he overslides or overruns that base. In that rule framework, if the catcher’s throw catches the runner before he can return, the runner is declared out and the force is removed.

Crow-Armstrong’s fate in this case was tied to contact with second base during the slide. states that replay determined he touched and then lost contact with second base as Bichette applied the tag, so the overturned safe call became an out. Cubs manager Craig Counsell disputed the reversal and was ejected by home-plate umpire Junior Valentine after arguing the decision.

What made the incident travel beyond the box score was the nature of the rule itself. A separate write-up examining the play argued that, while the ruling was correct, the underlying decision tree is unnecessarily harsh and poorly aligned with common baserunning instinct. That piece also suggested the issue has surfaced in similar forms for other runners over the years, pointing to a broader debate within the sport about how replay and baserunning technique intersect under rules that were not built for modern slide mechanics.

For MLB fans, the operational takeaway is straightforward: when an “advance on ball four” steal is in play, oversliding or losing contact with second base can flip the result even when the runner appears to arrive safely at full speed. The play also underscores that the tag is not the only moving part; the runner’s contact status with the base, as determined under replay, can be decisive under Rule 5.09(b)(6).

Looking ahead, teams that run on ball four counts may face an extra mental checklist during steal attempts: commit to second with clean contact, avoid overrunning, and recognize that replay can turn “safe” into “out” if contact with the bag is judged to have been lost. For the Cubs and Mets, the immediate question is less about the outcome of this single inning and more about whether managers continue to push for rule clarification, or simply adjust baserunning fundamentals to fit the rule as written.