Tuesday was a memorable day for San Francisco Giants stalwart shortstop Brandon Crawford. In his club's come-from-behind win against the Rangers (SF 9, TEX 4), Crawford played his 1,326th game at shortstop, setting a new Giants franchise record. Hall of Famer Travis Jackson held the previous record at 1,325 games. The record dates include the franchise's time in New York.
"Growing up as a little kid and being a Giants fan and wanting to play shortstop for the Giants and all that, you never think about stuff like this," Crawford, who grew up in the Bay Area, told reporters, including MLB.com's Maria Guardado. "Having the most games played at shortstop in the history of the franchise, it's pretty unbelievable to even think about. For the accomplishments that I've had throughout my career, this is probably at least toward the top."
Crawford celebrated the milestone night with two home runs, his 13th and 14th of the season. He drove in four runs and also walked twice, raising his season batting line to .269/.363/.575. It's been a resurgent season for the 34-year-old Crawford. The team saluted him with a champagne celebration following the game, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
"I can share that it's a remarkable accomplishment and one that we're actively looking to celebrate in our clubhouse," Giants manager Gabe Kapler told Guardado. "I think it speaks to his preparation, and I think it speaks to his training in the offseason and his desire and willingness to post every single day. That's been my experience with Brandon since I've been here."
Crawford, 34, was on pace to break Jackson's record last season before the pandemic trimmed the schedule to 60 games. The 2008 fourth-round pick made his MLB debut in 2011 and was the starting shortstop on San Francisco's 2012 and 2014 World Series championship teams.
Tuesday's win improved Crawford's Giants to 38-22 on the season, their best record through 60 games since 2014, when they started 39-21. They have baseball's best record at the moment.
