Late in the game against the Dodgers Sunday, the Giants removed long-time shortstop Brandon Crawford from the game in order to get him an ovation from the San Francisco crowd.
San Francisco showing love for #35 👏 pic.twitter.com/LpSEDTAFF8
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) October 1, 2023
After the game, he came back out of the clubhouse to thank fans. Crawford hasn't announced his retirement, but his contract is up and it's possible he'll hang up the cleats at some point this offseason. If not, perhaps it's just the end of his run with the Giants.
"From the grand slam in Milwaukee to the World Series wins to today, you guys always showed me love," he told the crowd. "My family and I appreciate it so much. You guys are the best, thank you."
Crawford was the Giants' fourth-round draft pick out of UCLA in 2008, but prior to his college years in L.A., Crawford grew up a Giants fan. His family actually had season tickets and bought a commemorative brick (via sfgate.com) outside AT&T Park (now Oracle Park). To end up playing for the Giants as an adult was a dream come true for Crawford. Then he won the World Series as the starting shortstop in 2012. And then it happened again in 2014.
Crawford is a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and one-time Silver Slugger winner. He has received MVP votes in two different seasons and even finished fourth in 2021.
In 1,653 regular-season games, Crawford is a .250/.319/.396 hitter with 1,392 hits, 290 doubles, 44 triples, 146 home runs, 744 RBI and 669 runs. He's also played in 43 playoff games. He hit .304 in the 2014 World Series and provided the big blow in the wild-card game that season with a grand slam:
Funny enough, his first career MLB hit was also a grand slam.
Crawford will, of course, be long remembered by Giants fans for his part in that even-year dynasty, notably due to his excellent defense at shortstop. There's an argument that despite the four Gold Gloves he was still actually under-appreciated for his defensive prowess. I know Giants fans will agree with me, especially on this day, as they appeared to be saying goodbye to No. 35.
