The Wrigley Field video board showed a couple young fans holding up a sign:

“PCA, we skipped school to see you do a home run.”

Their grammar suggests the truants maybe should have gone to class.

But can you blame them? Pete Crow-Armstrong won’t stop rewarding Cubs fans who’d rather watch him electrify Wrigley Field than wait for the school bell to ring.

The center fielder continued his offensive onslaught, hitting a three-run homer as the centerpiece of a six-run second inning, and finished the day with four hits and six RBIs in the Cubs’ 13-3 win over the Crosstown-rival White Sox on Friday.

“He’s a really special player,” Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton said after the game. “I watched him play in high school. I always knew he was going to be a star, but this year, he’s really found a groove and it’s awesome to watch.

“He’s an overall great baseball player. He works hard. He knows what he’s good at. He’s going to cause chaos on the bases. He’s going to hit home runs. He’s going to make plays in center. He’s got all the tools.”

Horton was supposed to be the featured player Friday as he made his first major league start, the Cubs turning to one of the top-ranked pitching prospects in baseball to help in their fight for survival with Justin Steele out for the season and Shota Imanaga on the injured list.

But the Cubs’ relentless bats stole the show, arguing that the best way for the team to survive without those top two arms is to let this lineup cook.

“That’s the best part about this lineup,” Crow-Armstrong said, “once it starts, once we get going, it’s really fun to be a part of and it’s hard to stop us.”

That was the case Friday, the Cubs erasing the 2-0 lead the Sox built on a first-inning homer with that six-run second. They tied the game on back-to-back grounders before Crow-Armstrong’s three-run homer broke the tie and Wrigley Field erupted.

From a big blow to death by a thousand cuts, the Lakeview wind wreaked havoc on the Sox’ defense, and the Cubs tacked on seven more runs across their final three tips to the plate.

Crow-Armstrong added RBI hits in the sixth and seventh innings in the wake of his big blast, his 12th long ball of the season.

“He’s playing at a really high level right now,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s fun to see a player take another step. He’s taken a step defensively. He’s taken a big step offensively. It’s an impact player.

“The ability with the home run now, that’s probably a pretty big surprise. But you need surprises. It’s an important one. … The ball’s exploding off his bat.”

It made life a lot easier for Horton, who couldn’t solve Miguel Vargas – the Sox’ third baseman hit two homers and drove in all three of their runs – but was otherwise effective. He allowed three runs on seven hits but walked none, with a couple strikeouts, on 79 pitches across five innings.

Two outings and nine innings into his big league career, Horton hasn’t walked anyone.

“Honestly, I think he’s truly ready [to have success in the major leagues]. He’s a workhorse,” reliever Chris Flexen told the Sun-Times before the game. “I think he’s got a good head on his shoulders to be able to handle stress, positives, negatives, all of it. It’s pretty impressive to see at that age.”

That’s promising for the Cubs in the long term, as the 23-year-old Horton – the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft – has expectations that stretch well beyond the 2025 campaign, even as they look for options to address their starting-pitching needs.

As Horton continues to develop at the big league level, though, he’s got quite the luxury in his hot-hitting teammates.

And, in Crow-Armstrong, the one teammate that can do anything.

“I hope he liked his first taste of Wrigley,” Crow-Armstrong said, “because he’s going to do this for a long time.”