Cubs Broadcaster Alex Cohen on World Series Hopes, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and More

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At the 2025 All-Star break, the Chicago Cubs own the third-best record in baseball and a legitimate shot at a long run into the postseason. They've played an electric brand of baseball, fronted by superstars like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, and they've made people take notice, including one of their own: Marquee Sports Network's Alex Cohen. I recently got the chance to catch up with the Philadelphia native on a number of topics, including what this special season feels like from an inside perspective, smiling through broadcasts, and how many of the pieces that make up this Cubs squad are reason to consider long-term prosperity on the North Side of Chicago.

Recalling "electric" nights such as the one the Cubbies enjoyed in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Baseball a couple of weeks ago versus the rival St. Louis Cardinals, Cohen sees this squad as a serious contender.

"The vibes are high, and this is a team with postseason and World Series aspirations," he said.

One point of evidence that this team could find themselves in a long playoff run (other than simply turning on the TV and watching them), is the brilliance of designated hitter and All-Star snub Seiya Suzuki. A top-five leader in runs batted in, Suzuki, Cohen says, "answers the call" in prime-time situations. Cohen specifically cited the big hits Suzuki got over the team's last homestand before the break, with three doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs in six games against the Guardians and Cardinals. 

To cash in on some of the team's loftier goals, they'll have to keep pace ahead of "surging Brewers and Reds teams," who at this point in time have considerably improved their chances of catching up to the division leaders. Luckily, Craig Counsell's club has one of the most exciting and valuable players in baseball, Crow-Armstrong, on the everyday lineup card. Since his days calling games in Des Moines, Iowa, Cohen recognized Crow-Armstrong's potential, but didn't anticipate it getting to this level so quickly.

"I knew that he'd have the opportunity to hit 20 home runs in a season," he said. "I didn't expect him to have (more than) 20 before the All-Star break. And he's a great defender."

The Cubs are a very good baseball team; that much is obvious. But what might surprise the casual fan is how much better the club has gotten in turning its weaknesses into strengths. Having been around some of the squad's young stars (like fireballer Daniel Palencia, who has helped rewrite the book on the once-maligned Cubs' bullpen), Cohen offers a unique perspective on what an arm like Palencia's might do to enhance the Cubbies' championship hopes.

"He gives the Cubs a legitimate back-end of the bullpen arm. I think with Daniel Palencia, the question was, could he throw enough strikes?" Cohen said. "And I think the answer is yes. When you're throwing 101, 102 it's a matter of where you put it, and where he's putting it is not allowing hitters to make contact and not make hard contact."

Boasting a 1.57 ERA, Palencia is as close to a sure-thing closer as the Cubs have had since Wade Davis in 2017. Baseball is a game peppered with history so deep it would make a Chicago pizzaiolo blush. Cohen recognizes that history, both in legends from the game's broadcasting past, and his contemporaries like the great Pat Hughes.

"Pat said if you can't have fun doing this, then you can't have fun doing anything else. So I broadcast with a smile on my face," he said. Cohen values the approachability of taking baseball in 2025 and all of its complexities, and making it something listeners of all ages can dig into, deriving not just enjoyment, but identity with the game on a more personal level. 

"Calling fun baseball" is where he's at right now, in going to work as a broadcaster for a team that's provided numerous memorable moments in the first half of the 2025 campaign alone. Citing instances like Matthew Boyd's call to the All-Star Game or the club mashing a franchise-record eight home runs on the Fourth of July, he translates genuine excitement to the fans watching at home that come away with a little bit extra in either an isolated play or the game as a whole. 

Chicago is a place that's easy for one to find themselves as the lead role in their very own love story. For Cohen, this is where his love story with the game of baseball originated.

"Because it's not just the team, it's the ballpark, it's the neighborhood, it's the community," Cohen said. "So I think it's just a special team with a special reputation, but also a special atmosphere and a special city."

Hearing the sound of the Red Line rumbling down the track isn't the only thing that makes the city unique. Loved and respected by countless individuals from all corners of the Earth, Chicago is a town whose identity is molded by its people, its neighborhoods, and its baseball teams. There is no doubt that the Chicago Cubs' lauded stable of broadcasters (Cohen, Boog Sciambi, and Hughes on play-by-play; Jim Deshaies and Ron Coomer as color commentators) elevates them to a special place in the community and the game, as it has done since the roster included Jack Brickhouse and Lou Boudreau.

Given the track this ball club is on, no one involved with the organization would think to replace this season anytime soon.

"Just sit back and enjoy it. The team will lose games in the future at some point, but if they can get to 90-95 wins—which they're on track for—you'll be watching a Chicago Cubs playoff team, so just try to enjoy it."

Advice we are all ready and willing to follow.

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