SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Crawford’s first career walk-off played out similarly on Wednesday night. On Apr. 13, 2014, Crawford recorded his first splash hit in a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. Fast forward more than four years, and the Giants shortstop delivered against the same team, to the same area of the ballpark — albeit without the splash— in a 1-0 win Wednesday night.
And just like the first time, Crawford experienced that same childlike joy as he trotted around the bases to a stampede of exuberant teammates.
“Anytime you can get a walkoff, whether it’s a homer or base hit, whatever, you are excited,” Crawford said postgame. “You’re excited to get around the bases, get to the guys at home. Those are the reasons you play baseball. Those are the real fun parts.”
It was only fitting that after a momentous offensive struggle all night long, Crawford would break the tie with a walkoff homer that barely escaped the right field fence in AT&T Park. The homer snapped a 0-0 tie with the Rockies to give the Giants their fourth straight win and seventh in their last eight games.
Crawford has been San Francisco’s most stabilizing force throughout a season of fluctuating lineups and inexperienced starting pitching, the result of all the roster’s attrition. Every Giants infielder aside from Crawford has missed at least 13 games this season. He has only missed five, three of which came as he welcomed the birth of his fourth child last week.
After a slow first month, Crawford has since become one of the hottest hitters in baseball. From May 1 to June 10, he slashed an astounding .439/.483/.697. He hit six homers, 16 doubles, and 27 RBI during that 36-game span.
He fell back to earth during during the ensuing week, but he has started to heat up again, going 8-14 with four RBI in his past four games, including Wednesday night’s walkoff homer.
“After his start, he tweaked his swing a little bit,” Bruce Bochy said. “(It) just got him in a much better hitter position— freed him up I think.”
That modification has sent Crawford, a reigning three-time National League Gold Glover who is on his way to another superb defensive season, into the Most Valuable Player race. Wednesday’s walkoff was his second this month— the other came in a 10th inning single on June 6th.
Crawford’s season evidences the inevitable ebbs and flows all players experience. Even if he dips in the second half, he is still on pace for the best season of his eight-year career. His top hitting year was in 2015, producing a .275/.342/.430 line. He is on pace to shatter that, currently slashing .316/.374/.496. He currently has career-highs in on-base percentage (.374) and slugging percentage (.496).
“He has always been such a great clutch hitter,” Bochy said. “Even when the numbers weren’t way up there, it just seemed like he always came through with a big hit for us, which he did tonight. It’s been fun to watch his growth as a hitter since he came up years ago. He has just gotten better and better.”