Pete Crow-Armstrong Admits Wild Babe Ruth Conspiracy Theory: ‘Babe Ruth Was a Time Traveler’
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is having an MVP-caliber season, and he is also spending some of his free time in conspiracy theory corners of the internet.
In an interview this week, PCA admitted he actually likes the fringe theory that Babe Ruth was a time traveler. He was clear that he does not fully believe it, but he also could not fully rule it out.
“There’s a lot of stuff about him that doesn’t add up,” Crow-Armstrong said, referencing photos and stories that internet accounts have run with over the last few years. “I’m not saying I believe it, but I’m not saying I don’t.”
The theory itself is exactly as silly as it sounds. Some corner of TikTok has decided that Babe Ruth’s swing was mechanically ahead of its time, that certain photos of him look weirdly modern, and that the physical dominance he had over the pre-integration era is best explained by him being a person from the future who came back to be the greatest baseball player who ever lived.
It is nonsense. It is also fun, and Crow-Armstrong being the guy who publicly says he kind of likes the theory is peak 2026 baseball star personality.
PCA is the exact type of player who was going to become a star of the sport off the field as well. He is 24 years old, hits the ball harder than his frame suggests he should, plays a Gold Glove center field, and now sits third in the National League MVP race behind Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker. The Cubs are two games out of first in the NL Central and he is the main reason.
What makes the Babe Ruth comment charming instead of annoying is that Crow-Armstrong is not trying to go viral. He is a young athlete who spends his phone time the way any 24-year-old with too much time between games does. He watches weird history videos, he sees a conspiracy theory that catches his eye, and he is honest when a reporter asks about it.
Compare that to the athletes who deliver every interview like it is a corporate press release. Crow-Armstrong is an honest weirdo, which the sport has always needed more of.
The Cubs are in a playoff race and PCA is one of the reasons Chicago fans finally have real hope for October. The trade for Kevin Gausman gave them another top-of-the-rotation arm. Adding Clay Holmes at the deadline fixed the back end of the bullpen. Now they just need PCA to keep hitting home runs into September.
Whether Babe Ruth was a time traveler or just an obese lefty who could hit the ball 500 feet, Pete Crow-Armstrong is treating both possibilities with the seriousness they deserve. Which is not much.
Do not change, PCA. The sport needs more of you.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
