Giants Baseball Insider

SF Giants lose in Brandon Crawford’s sendoff despite Kyle Harrison’s no-hit bid

The SF Giants lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon, but the story was Brandon Crawford's likely farewell alongside some rookie highlights.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants lose in Brandon Crawford’s sendoff despite Kyle Harrison’s no-hit bid
SF Giants lose in Brandon Crawford’s sendoff despite Kyle Harrison’s no-hit bid /
In this story:

The SF Giants lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 on Sunday afternoon, officially finishing the 2023 season with a 79-83 record. The rest of the standings had already been set, though. The Giants were eliminated from postseason contention earlier this week and were surpassed by the Padres for third place in the division. It was a rare moment on an MLB diamond where the outcome of the game was less impactful than the storyline surrounding it. At Oracle Park on Sunday, of course, that story was Brandon Crawford.

SF Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford hugs one of his children before his team takes on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on October 1, 2023.
SF Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford hugs one of his children at Oracle Park on October 1, 2023 / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

In what many expect to be the final game of Crawford's big-league career, fans turned out in droves early to watch him go through his pregame warm-up routine one more time. Before the game got underway, Crawford caught four ceremonial first pitches, one from each of his four children.

Then, when the game was about to get underway, the rest of the Giants team let Crawford take the field alone in the top of the first inning. Crawford, who rarely wants to be the center of attention, took a moment to basque in a standing ovation and tipped his cap to the crowd.

Baseball is a ruthless sport. It is also a ruthless industry. As Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi showed on Friday when he fired manager Gabe Kapler, whether it was justified or not, continuity is hard to come by. 

That's what makes Crawford's 13-year tenure with the Giants, the organization that drafted him back in 2008, so rare. The fact that it was during a dynastic run with the team he grew up rooting for makes Crawford's story really feel like a fairytale.

Crawford was the last vestige of the Giants' 2010-2014 dynasty left on the field with the team. If he does retire this offseason, as many expect, or signs with another franchise, fans will no longer have that on-field reminder of the glory years.

Crawford famously hit a grand slam in his big-league debut and surely hoped to bookend his career with another blast. However, he was unable to add to his long list of memorable highlight plays. He struck out twice, grounded out, and flew out in his four trips to the plate before interim manager Kai Correa pulled him in the top of the ninth inning to allow him to receive a standing ovation.

Perhaps fittingly, as the current face of the franchise played his final game, rookie pitcher Kyle Harrison (Giants Top Pitching Prospect) started on the mound. Of the Giants' massive rookie class, Harrison might have the best chance to join Logan Webb and Camilo Doval as the faces of the franchise going forward. Harrison has electrified Oracle Park during his best outings since a late-season call-up and showed off some of that potential.

Harrison's command was iffy throughout his outing, issuing two walks and hitting three batters. However, he also held the Dodgers' talented lineup scoreless across five no-hit innings. Removed after throwing 94 pitches, Harrison finished the season with a 4.15 ERA across seven big-league starts with 35 strikeouts and 11 walks in 34.2 innings pitched.

Another rookie, Casey Schmitt, ended his season on a high note as well. He got the Giants on the scoreboard by lining a solo home run off Ryan Pepiot in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Schmitt flew out to center field in a rematch against Pepiot. However, the second and third base umpires had called time prior to the pitch because a ball had come onto the field. So, Schmitt got a second chance. He lined the next pitch he saw into the left-field bleachers to record his first multi-homer career in the majors.

The Giants bullpen struggled mightily after replacing Harrison in the top of the sixth inning. John Brebbia allowed a single and walk to two of the three batters he faced before Correa replaced him with Taylor Rogers. Rogers allowed both inherited runners to score on a pair of singles before a three-run homer by Enrique Hernández gave the Dodgers a 5-0 lead. One batter later, Rogers signaled to the team's training staff, and he was removed from the game.

Veteran Ross Stripling managed to right the ship, pitching the final 3.1 shutout innings of the season without allowing a run. Still, the veteran swingman's season ERA remained well north of 5.00, making it seem likely that he will not opt-out of his contract this offseason.

The Giants will head into the offseason with an uncertain future. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has just one year left on his contract and will have to hire a new manager before likely overhauling the roster. Constant change is just a reality in modern MLB. But for the past 12 years, Brandon Crawford has been the SF Giants' only Opening Day shortstop. He has seen highs. He has seen lows. And on Sunday, it sure seemed like he said goodbye.

Published
Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

Home/San Francisco Giants News