CHICAGO — It sounds like a movie script — but this time, it’s real life. Nearly 30 years after actress Ashley Crow played the devoted mother of a young baseball prodigy in the 1994 classic “Little Big League”, her real-life son, Pete Crow-Armstrong, has become one of the brightest young stars of the Chicago Cubs.
The parallel is almost eerie. In the film, Crow’s character, Jenny Heywood, watches her son take on the impossible — managing a Major League team at just 12 years old. Decades later, in a twist no screenwriter could have imagined, Ashley now finds herself cheering for her own son, who’s doing something equally extraordinary — building a Major League career in real life.
“I still remember watching that movie as a kid,” Pete said in an interview with MLB.com. “But it’s wild to think that now, Mom’s baseball world has somehow become mine. She always tells me, ‘Just play with heart — like you mean it.’ And that’s what I try to do every day.”
For Cubs fans, the emotional connection runs deep. Pete Crow-Armstrong, known for his spectacular defense and fearless energy, has quickly become a fan favorite at Wrigley Field. His mother, meanwhile, remains a familiar face to millions from her decades-long Hollywood career — appearing in films like “Minority Report” and TV series such as “Heroes.”
Behind the scenes, their bond is unshakable. Those close to the family say Ashley rarely misses a game, watching from the stands or calling her son after each appearance. “She’s my biggest supporter and toughest critic,” Pete admitted with a laugh. “But she’s always been my biggest source of inspiration.”
Ashley herself once shared in an interview: “When Pete got drafted, I cried. Not just because I was proud — but because I saw a dream coming full circle. From the set of ‘Little Big League’ to real Major League Baseball — life wrote a sequel we never expected.”
Now, as the Cubs continue their push for greatness, the story of the Crow family has become one of baseball’s most heartwarming coincidences — proof that sometimes, art doesn’t just imitate life… it predicts it.
And somewhere in the stands at Wrigley Field, beneath the hum of the crowd and the glow of the scoreboard, a proud mother smiles — knowing that this time, the magic isn’t on film. It’s happening right in front of her eyes.
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