Major League Baseball

'Not that hard': Giants SS Brandon Crawford has jokes after pitching scoreless inning

Updated Jun. 12, 2023 5:10 p.m. ET

The San Francisco Giants may have a new weapon to use out of their bullpen — Brandon Crawford.

The star shortstop made his MLB debut as a pitcher to close out the Giants' 13-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, and it quickly became apparent that this was no ordinary phenomenon of a position player pitching in relief at the end of a blowout.

Sure, Crawford started shakily, allowing a four-pitch walk and single to lead off the inning. But he rebounded to retire the next three Cubs hitters in order and showed off an impressive pitch arsenal while doing so, mixing in some breaking balls while his fastball reached as high as 90 mph.

The Oracle Park crowd roared as the fan-favorite 36-year-old shortstop, the last Giants player remaining from the team's early-2010s World Series dynasty, got Chicago's Trey Mancini to pop out to finish the game.

Later, Crawford's wife Jalynne called the experience a dream come true and said that the three-time All-Star had been "begging to pitch."

Brandon Crawford himself was clearly thrilled after the game, taking the opportunity to poke some fun at the Giants pitching staff by claiming he proved that their job is not that difficult.

It's just the latest dream achieved in a storybook career for Crawford, who grew up a Giants fan in Northern California before starring for and winning two World Series titles with his hometown team. However, Crawford has a long way to go before he can claim the title of best pitcher in his extended family — his sister, Amy, is married to New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.