Brutal ump show left Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs fuming

The Chicago Cubs were facing an uphill battle already, facing elimination in Game 3 of the NLDS after dropping the first two games to the Milwaukee Brewers in ugly fashion. The last thing they needed was the umpiring crew to start working against them, too — and yet that's exactly what happened in the bottom of the third inning on Wednesday.

Chicago had a 4-1 lead and had put two men on with just one out when Pete Crow-Armstrong came to the plate looking to bust the game open. But his at-bat got cut brutally short when third-base umpire Ryan Blakney ruled that he failed to check his swing in time on an 0-2 breaking ball. Upon further review, it wasn't just a missed call — it was egregious. PCA's hands were out in front of the plate, but he kept the barrel well behind.

There's simply no way this should ever be ruled a swing, but especially not in October and especially not in an elimination game. Chicago had a golden opportunity to create real separation and take a big step toward earning themselves another game. Instead, PCA's strikeout short-circuited the potential rally, and the very next half-inning, Milwaukee scratched across a run to cut the lead down to 4-2.

Crow-Armstrong was furious, immediately barking in the direction of Blakney and coming dangerously close to getting himself tossed at the worst possible time. But really, you can't blame him: This wasn't just a huge moment for the Cubs but a huge moment for Crow-Armstrong himself, one the umpires took away from him.

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Pete Crow-Armstrong's postseason frustrations mount in Game 3 vs. Brewers

Crow-Armstrong began this season scorching hot, earning genuine MVP consideration thanks to a dynamic first half that saw him post 25 homers along with 27 steals atop arguably the best offense in baseball. And then the bottom fell out: All of PCA's bad habits got exposed down the stretch, and he hit just .216/.262/.372 after the All-Star break as the Cubs watched Milwaukee run away with the NL Central.

The postseason offered a shot at redemption, but PCA entered Wednesday's game just 4-for-18 with zero extra-base hits across Chicago's first five contests. He finally had a seminal October momenet in the first inning of Game 3, delivering a huge two-out, two-RBI single to break a 1-1 tie.

That felt like it could be an inflection point, the swing that got PCA back into a groove and helped the Cubs get back into this series. He had a chance to build on that momentum in his second at-bat, only for Blakney's incompetence to get in the way. With calls like this, it's no wonder that baseball fans (and players, and managers) can't wait for the institution of the ABS challenge system next season.