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The Chicago Cubs have been slumping badly since the All-Star break, and the former National League Central Division leaders have fallen a shocking 8.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and into second place. Their latest defeats was a 3-2 loss Friday afternoon at home to the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates.
A fighter jet from the Chicago Air & Water Show had the Cubs dugout SHOOK pic.twitter.com/YA19cdhCwC
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 15, 2025
Chicago's once prolific offense has fallen into a deep dark hole, and manager Craig Counsell has not been able to roust his team from its batting slump. The Cubs received a jolt late in their loss to the Pirates when a flyover from the military fighter jets that will be participating in the Chicago Air & Water show produced a sonic boom that left Cubs players scrambling for an instant.
Cameras caught the terrified players as they prepared to bat against the Pirates. They quickly realized what was happening and were able to go about their business without incident. However, the loud fly over did nothing to wake up the Cubs bats.
The video shows Pete Crow-Armstrong ducking for cover, Justin Turner doing the same with a scared look on his face and Ian Happ looking annoyed at the whole thing.
Cubs can't get out of their own way
In the latest loss, the Cubs battled back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to tie the Pirates, but Pittsburgh took the lead in the top of the ninth when Jack Suwinski hit an opposite field home run into the left centerfield basket. That gave the visitors a one-run advantage.
The Cubs had hope in the bottom of the ninth when the previously slumping Crow-Armstrong led off with his third hit of the game. He immediately took off for second base and appeared to have the base stolen, but he overslid the bag and Pittsburgh shortstop Jared Triolo slapped the tag on him for the first out of the inning. Pirates closer Dennis Santana quickly disposed of the Cubs after the failed stolen base attempt.
Crow-Armstrong attempted to explain how his batting slump can turn around throughout the final weeks of the season. “It becomes the self-inflicted pressure when you feel like you're not playing your part in contributing,” Crow-Armstrong told ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers. “When stuff starts to kind of pile up like that, it sucks, but it's also baseball and I still have however many f—-ing weeks left this season, and it's still a lot of time to begin to produce again.”
The Cubs have dropped seven of their last 10 games while the Brewers have reeled off 12 straight victories. The Brewers have a 76-44 record, and that's the best mark in either league. The Cubs have fallen to 68-53 and they are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot in the National League Wild Card race.
