Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is catching heat after a tense exchange with a fan appeared to turn ugly during a game against the Chicago White Sox.
The heated moment was caught on camera after Crow-Armstrong missed a catch in the fifth inning. A White Sox fan then appeared to heckle him from nearby, shouting, “You suck,” while also giving him a thumbs-down gesture.
Crow-Armstrong did not ignore it.
The Cubs star appeared to fire back through the fence with a vulgar insult before walking away, according to video circulating online.
The clip quickly spread across social media, where fans were stunned by the exchange and many blasted the outfielder for how he allegedly responded.
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“No way to talk to a woman,” one fan wrote.
“Someone needs to have a word with him, that’s out of line,” another said.
A third critic called Crow-Armstrong “classless and unprofessional.”
The backlash came after a tough night for the Cubs, who lost 9-8 to their crosstown rivals. The White Sox fan seemed to seize on the missed play, and the interaction quickly became one of the most talked-about moments from the game.
Crow-Armstrong later defended himself when asked about the incident.
“Some lady decided to start talking s— and I felt the need to say it back,” he told ESPN.
The Cubs remain in first place in the National League Central with a 29-18 record, even after dropping the series to the White Sox.
Meanwhile, the White Sox have become one of the surprise stories of the season, sitting in an American League Wild Card position with a 24-22 record.
But for many fans, the scoreboard was not the biggest story after the game.
Instead, it was the viral moment between Crow-Armstrong and a heckling fan that had people arguing over where the line is between baseball trash talk and going too far.