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You’re never too old. That’s the lesson to take away from Max Scherzer’s brilliance, Justin Verlander’s bid to return and Sammy Sosa’s ability to live vicariously through Pete Crow-Armstrong. Even Greg Maddux proved he’s still got it … in a roundabout way.

I’m Zack Meisel, coming out of the bullpen for Levi Weaver — welcome to The Windup!

Big Swings: It’s PCA’s world, we’re just living in it

Last season, Cal Raleigh went on a tear in September (10 homers, 1.030 OPS) in a bid to chase down the perennial AL MVP, Aaron Judge. Raleigh fell just short in the voting.

This season, Pete Crow-Armstrong is trying to leave no doubt as he attempts to unseat the perennial MVP, Shohei Ohtani. And each PCA exclamation point seems to print in a larger font.

For his latest act, the Cubs center fielder conducted his pregame routine Saturday before an audience of franchise icons, in town to celebrate the team’s 150 years as an NL franchise. Sammy Sosa, who, like Crow-Armstrong, once had Chicago glued to his every at-bat, told the 24-year-old PCA that he wanted him to hit three homers. Sosa knows something about that; he had six three-homer games for the Cubs between 1996 and 2002.

Sure enough, Crow-Armstrong went deep three times in the Cubs’ 17-5 shellacking of the Reds. (The Cubs are now 77-60.) He said he felt it in his bones: “I don’t know what (Sosa) passed down to me. Weird sh— like that happens in this game.”

Well said. (He’s the 13th player to record a three-homer game this season. Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman is the only one to do it twice. Raleigh, by the way, also accomplished the feat last week.)

Crow-Armstrong wasn’t done, though. He tacked on two more homers yesterday, one off Cincinnati ace Chase Burns and another off closer Emilio Pagán. He’s up to 38 homers, second in the majors behind Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who has 40. He ranks second in the NL with 32 stolen bases. If fWAR is your jam, Crow-Armstrong’s is nearly double the figure of the second-ranked NL position player (Otto Lopez), thanks in part to his elite defense.

What’s more is PCA’s primary competition for NL MVP. That Ohtani guy had a setback in his bid to get back on the mound and remind us he contains multitudes. Knee inflammation has kept Ohtani from pitching since July 3. He was scheduled to pitch one inning either yesterday in Detroit or Tuesday in Los Angeles, but he didn’t feel right after a Friday bullpen session. Now, his pitching plan is unclear.

And as if it couldn’t get any more agonizing for Dodgers fans, their team’s offense has become, as our Katie Woo put it, “a snoozefest.” The Dodgers (82-55) mustered three runs in three games before erupting for six yesterday.

One more thing on the Cubs: Greg Maddux, also in attendance for the 150th anniversary festivities, threw out the ceremonial first pitch Saturday. It sailed juuuuuust a bit outside, and the Hall of Famer who wielded unparalleled command during his career has his reasons for that.

Middle Relief: A postcard from Levi

Hey all! Checking in from somewhere in Kansas, en route to Texas from Dyersville, Iowa. I just finished playing four baseball games in two days on the “Field of Dreams” movie set (and boy are my arms tired).

This isn’t the field that the Phillies and Twins played on this year. You can see that one across the corn beyond left field. This one is the no-dugouts field from the movie. The one Ray Kinsella built so the baseball ghosts could come play ball.

Which, to me, is a little bit cooler.

That I was allowed to go at all was a fairly last-minute thing; a buddy from Fort Worth asked if I wanted to fill in for someone who couldn’t make it (thanks again, Zubi!), and I was an immediate yes. I wore the other guy’s jersey (sorry you couldn’t make it, Furutani No. 55) and made a lot of new friends from Fort Worth and elsewhere.

This was actually my second baseball travel weekend in a row; I was in New England with my usual Dallas crew the previous weekend. That trip featured a little history as well: We played a game at Goodall Park in Sanford, Maine. Built in 1915, the legend is that Babe Ruth’s last game in a Red Sox uniform happened there on a barnstorm.

Anyway, my heart is full, my body is in shambles, and I’ll be back to full-time Windup duty on Wednesday. Until then, here’s a video I made from the passenger seat on the 13+ hour drive home.

Aces: Legendary Tigers pitchers coming and going

Tarik Skubal is used to wearing a gray jersey and blue cap on the road, just not at Comerica Park. The setting was familiar. The results — six innings, one run, no walks, seven strikeouts — were familiar. But it was a bit foreign for Skubal, the Dodgers’ prized trade deadline acquisition, to be pitching against the Tigers in his old ballpark Friday night. Skubal even said, “Just coming here and staying at a hotel is weird.”

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch called it “weird and unique and different and emotional,” and those four adjectives seem to sum it up well. Skubal said he didn’t plan to be emotional, but “I’ve come to figure out I don’t really know myself that well.”

Another longtime Tigers pitcher is hoping to return to Detroit this season. His name is Justin Verlander. The 43-year-old announced in July he plans to call it a career at the end of the season. He’s been sidelined since April 4 because of hip and hamstring injuries. He has made only one start, but he recently threw off the mound.

The calendar is running out of days, of course. Hinch surmised Verlander is “going to be able to make at least one appearance” before the end of the regular season.

And, in keeping with the theme of Cy Young Award-winning pitchers who once donned the Old English D, Max Scherzer, at 42 years old, authored the best start of his Blue Jays tenure yesterday, with seven innings of one-hit ball against the reeling Mariners. His manager, John Schneider, described it as “kind of like popping in a time machine.”

Standings Watch: Pennant race check-in

If you’re looking for drama and intrigue in September, don’t bother with the NL playoff chases. The Padres and Diamondbacks are jockeying for the last wild-card spot. Maybe the Marlins can catch fire and join the fun.

The AL, though, is a mess. It’s a car crash on the side of the highway, and you can’t help but peek at the wreckage as you cruise past. The Rays (currently the No. 1 seed), Yankees (No. 4) and Red Sox (No. 5) are sitting comfortably in playoff position. The Yankees took three of four from Boston over the weekend to add some breathing room in the battle to determine who hosts their opening-round best-of-three (you know, unless the Rays crash back to Earth).

Elsewhere, the White Sox (72-64) gained a game on the Guardians in the AL Central over the weekend. Cleveland (69-68) is still clinging to the final wild-card spot, by one game over the Orioles, 1 1/2 games over the Blue Jays, two games over the Rangers, four games over the Twins and five games over the Mariners. The Astros, at 69-68, have the same record as the Guardians, but it’s good enough to lead the Rangers by two games in the battle for the AL West.

Got all that? The next four weeks in the AL should be a wild ride.

Handshakes and High Fives

It’s go time for postseason contenders. Stephen J. Nesbitt and Chad Jennings break down their schedules over the next two weeks, and how they can shape the playoff race.

The Yankees didn’t address two of their biggest needs at the deadline. Does it really matter?

Speaking of … the Yankees and Red Sox beef. One broadcaster recommended Boston take it to a whole new level: “Wouldn’t you sort of like to see (Jovani) Morán drill (Austin) Wells right here?”

Chandler Rome has a Q&A with Astros owner Jim Crane, including why he parted ways with Dana Brown and full-time GM candidates (or lack thereof).

Eight pitches challenged. Eight pitches overturned. Yikes.

Rockies rookie outfielder Cole Carrigg was benched after giving Braves fans the middle finger on Saturday. The punishment lasted six innings.

Most-clicked in our last newsletter: That time Chris Sale was suspended for cutting up his team’s throwback jerseys. Most clicked by a mile.

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