The Chicago Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 7-6 victory on Wednesday, adding another chapter to an intensifying National League MVP race between the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani.
Both players delivered standout performances in the finale. Ohtani, a four-time MVP who won the award the previous two seasons with the Dodgers, led off the game with a home run. Crow-Armstrong matched him with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first, marking the first time in MLB history that each team hit a leadoff home run with a left-handed batter facing a left-handed pitcher. By the end of the game, both players had recorded two home runs apiece. The Dodgers mounted a comeback with a five-run eighth inning, including a two-run shot by Ohtani, but it fell short of tying the game.
Crow-Armstrong’s performance throughout the series cemented his standing as a serious MVP contender. Across the three games, he went 6 for 13 with five RBIs, five runs, two home runs, a double, and two stolen bases. Ohtani posted comparable offensive numbers at 6 for 13 with two home runs, three RBIs, and three runs. The two players now sit tied atop the MVP odds at FanDuel at -110, a dramatic shift from Ohtani’s heavy favorite status entering the week.
The MVP debate hinges partly on how voters weigh different skill sets. Ohtani functions as both a designated hitter and pitcher, carrying a record of 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts. Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, is widely considered the game’s premier defender, leading all of baseball in defensive WAR, outs above average, runs prevented, and fielding run value while patrolling center field. By Fangraphs’ WAR calculation, Crow-Armstrong held leads of 7.4 to 6.3 entering Wednesday, while Baseball-Reference showed a 7.0 to 6.2 advantage.
The Dodgers, who entered the series as the two-time defending champions, now face a six-game losing streak. They hold the NL West lead at 69-46, while the Cubs occupy the top NL wild card position at 66-49. The Cubs won the season series four games to two, with no additional regular-season matchups scheduled between the teams, though a potential October meeting remains possible.
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