CHICAGO — For the last few weeks, Pete Crow-Armstrong felt he had been taking the first pitch of each game.

His refined, patient approach means he hadn’t been presenting as an immediate first-pitch threat as the Chicago Cubs’ leadoff hitter.

So, three hours before Wednesday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Crow-Armstrong decided he would swing at the first pitch he saw if it was in the zone. Well, Dodgers starter Eric Lauer’s 90.2 mph fastball was over the plate, and Crow-Armstrong unloaded.

As if it were ripped from a movie script, Crow-Armstrong slugged a leadoff home run in the first — just as Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had in the top of the inning to cap a 10-pitch at-bat against Shota Imanaga. The dueling leadoff home runs between the top two National League MVP contenders were just the beginning of the fireworks in the Cubs’ 7-6 victory to sweep the Dodgers.

Crow-Armstrong, getting a day off from center field as the Cubs’ designated hitter, finished with two home runs, one double and four RBIs while Ohtani also tallied a pair of home runs in his three-hit day — his second pulled the Dodgers within one run in the eighth — with three RBIs. Following Wednesday’s performance, Crow-Armstrong and Ohtani both sit at 26 home runs on the season, though Crow-Armstrong (7.5) holds the edge in total fWAR over Ohtani (6.4).

Crow-Armstrong became the first Cub in franchise history with back-to-back 25-home run, 25-stolen base seasons. It’s just the sixth time in franchise history a player has hit that mark twice as a Cub, joining Ryne Sandberg (1985, 1990) and Sammy Sosa (1993, 1995).

“I would be crazy to say that I don’t want to win an MVP, but if we’re talking about having priorities straight, I think mine are pretty straight,” Crow-Armstrong said afterward. “It’s not on the forefront of my mind. It’s fun to joke about and it’s fun to acknowledge and I think it’s absolutely OK to pay attention to. But it’s not following me up to the plate.”

Wednesday marked just the third game in MLB history where both leadoff hitters hit multiple home runs, including a leadoff home run, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Ohtani, through interpreter Will Ireton, told reporters he’s not really paying attention to the MVP race.

“He’s a great player, but I’m really focused on myself on the hitting side of things right now, really working toward hopefully getting back on the mound and working on that side of the game as well,” Ohtani said. “Just over the course of a season, there’s a lot of ups and downs. It’s too early to think about that. So in a way for me it’s more important for the team to win and for me to contribute to that.”

Crow-Armstrong only briefly allowed himself to enjoy the show they put on during the game. That moment came after his first home run. Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel, who had been on the Team USA coaching staff when Crow-Armstrong played in the World Baseball Classic, playfully gave him a hard time about not being in center field for every game. Wednesday marked just the second time this season Crow-Armstrong wasn’t out there, and following his leadoff home run, the 24-year-old countered Ebel with a grin, “Well, it took your guy 10 pitches, it only took me one.”

“I definitely just enjoy watching (Ohtani) play baseball, so I guess today for me what was cool was just getting to watch him from a different angle and not worrying about going and trying to catch balls that are hit at 1,000 miles an hour,” Crow-Armstrong said.

Since June 11, the Cubs are 32-15 and averaging 6.0 runs per game. Their sweep of the Dodgers also gave the Cubs (65-49) the season series over Los Angeles. They moved to 5 1/2 games back of Milwaukee, pending the Brewers’ outcome against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

“It’s fun watching Pete have this season,” manager Craig Counsell said. “How that all happens, who knows? I think it’s fun watching a player have this season, and it’s a season you remember. You remember seasons like this, you cherish seasons like this from individual players. You just do, and that’s the best part.”

Regardless of how the NL MVP race plays out over the final two months, the atmosphere during the three-game series against the Dodgers made it easy to envision what a rematch in October might entail.

It all served as a vibrant introduction to Wrigley Field for the Cubs’ trade deadline additions. Veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman shared that this week was the first time his wife had been to the ballpark.

“After the first day she was here she said it’s so different than Toronto, and I was like, yeah, the focus is baseball,” Gausman said Wednesday. “It’s real grass. It’s outside. So, there’s a lot of different things than what we’re used to, but we’re excited for all the new experiences.

“Obviously playing a team like the Dodgers brings the best out of everybody, which is good.”

Even Dodgers players remarked on the environment for an August regular-season series. Beyond Tuesday being left-hander Tarik Skubal’s first start for the Dodgers, it was his first time pitching at Wrigley. Cubs fans wore him out with boos during his pregame warmup and “Sku-bal” chants throughout his six-inning outing.

Skubal said Tuesday’s crowd was up there with any of the postseason starts he’s made on the road during his career.

“Great atmosphere, the Cubs fan base is awesome, it’s a ton of fun to play in front of, and whether they’re rooting against you or for you, I love the fans,” Skubal told reporters after his debut Tuesday. “This game is about the fans, as much as it’s about the players. But the fans are what create the environment. It’s a ton of fun to play in front of crowds like that. Even if they’re booing me or whatever it is, I think that’s what makes the game of baseball really fun, the competition really fun, and the atmosphere is really fun.

“It’s just the nature of the two teams, right? I think these two teams are atop the National League for a reason. Going in and competing, I don’t expect anything else.”

The Cubs still have a lot of work to do to get a postseason rematch with the Dodgers. Catching the Brewers for the division title and securing a first-round bye to the NL Division Series would go a long way in setting up that October showdown.

“I would feel much more accomplished taking (the Dodgers) down at some point,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I want to see this (Cubs) group in October because I think it’ll be a dangerous, dangerous group in the playoffs.”

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