Pete Crow-Armstrong
Baseball’s first month is often a tease, full of mirages. But when the calendar hits Memorial Day things are a lot less hazy.
As per usual, a number of April’s big surprises have fallen by the wayside. But a few have proved they were more than just early-season noise.
With June coming up here’s a look at a few unexpected developments from the season’s first month that have been solidified in May.
The Detroit Tigers’ are legit. The Tigers made a shocking late-season turnaround to reach the playoffs in 2024. Not only is their success not as much of a surprise this season, they have the best record in baseball as I write this. Detroit’s pitching staff is one clear strength as we reach the one-third mark of the regular season.
Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal once again leads the pitching staff. What is different this season is that the offense has made dramatic improvement. Detroit’s offense ranks fourth in the Majors in runs per game (5.07) this season, and only the Cubs and Dodgers have scored more runs in May.
Speaking of the Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong is turning into a star. Coming into 2025, the Cubs knew that Crow-Armstrong was going to provide exceptional defense and baserunning. But the 23-year-old’s bat has broken out in a big way, making him one of the most valuable players in baseball so far. PCA has 14 home runs thus far and is a clear threat to join the 40 home run, 40 stolen base club.
Both the Tigers and the Cubs are currently enjoying first place leads in their respective divisions.
NASCAR or INDY Car?
More people watched the 2025 Indianapolis 500 than the 2025 Daytona 500. Over the past few decades, that is a rarity.
Sunday’s Indy race won by Alex Palou averaged just over 7 million viewers on Fox. The Daytona 500 in February averaged over 6.7 million viewers.
How rare has that been the case you ask? It’s just the third time in the past three decades that the Indy 500 has drawn more viewers than the Daytona 500, along with the 1995 Indy 500 and the 2021 Indy 500.
What does it mean? Is NASCAR losing some of its longtime popularity? Is Indy Car racing making a comeback? My answer to that is quite simple. The Indy 500 seems to get viewers to the TV once a year. Race fans then switch back to NASCAR.
