Grand debut for Giants' Crawford
San Francisco Giants' Brandon Crawford, right, points to the sky as he celebrates with teammates, from left to right, Nate Schierholtz, Miguel Tejada and Aubrey Huff after all four scored on Crawford's grand slam during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers. (May 27, 2011) Credit: AP
MILWAUKEE -- It's still kind of a blur to Brandon Crawford. As he wiped the remnants of a pie from his face and uniform, he wasn't even sure which of his prankster teammates had gotten him.
Crawford, 24, hit a go-ahead grand slam in his first major-league game Friday night, helping Tim Lincecum and the Giants beat the Brewers, 5-4. He had just joined the Giants from Class A San Jose a day earlier and had never played a game above Double-A before. "It was all unreal," he said, recalling how he felt as he rounded the bases. "Awesome. I mean, I still kind of have the jitters about it."
Crawford did not play yesterday.
On Friday, Crawford batted in the seventh with the Giants trailing by two runs and Shaun Marcum on the mound. He became the sixth player to hit a grand slam in his major-league debut and only the second Giant, joining Bobby Bonds.
In the same game, just days after star catcher Buster Posey suffered severe leg and ankle injuries in a collision at the plate, Giants catcher Eli Whiteside absorbed a big hit from 275-pound Prince Fielder in the eighth, but Whiteside held on to the ball to preserve the lead. Unlike Posey, he had time to catch the ball and brace himself for the collision.
Giants GM Brian Sabean said before the game that he wants baseball officials to consider rules changes to protect catchers at home plate: "It's simple: You have to slide into other bases. Why shouldn't you have to slide into home plate?"
-- AP
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