'I got to live the dream': Crawford's legendary career celebrated

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants fans came out in full force to Oracle Park on Saturday afternoon to celebrate a native son who developed into the best shortstop in franchise history: Brandon Crawford.

Back in town for the first time since announcing his retirement in November, Crawford was feted during a special pregame ceremony that included plenty of highlights from his iconic 13-year career in San Francisco, as well as speeches from former Giants teammates Buster Posey and Hunter Pence.

Crawford, 38, admittedly doesn’t love talking about himself, but the two-time World Series champion delivered a heartfelt address when he took the mic, taking the time to thank his family, the Giants organization and the fans for making his storybook career possible.

“I’ve played in some big games throughout my career -- postseason games, All-Star Games, a couple of World Series,” Crawford told the sellout crowd. “I can honestly say I’ve never been more nervous than giving a speech right now. I’m not a big speech guy, but seriously, this is incredibly special. It’s hard to put into words what this day means to me.

“Since I was a kid growing up in the Bay Area, my dream wasn’t just to play in the big leagues. It was to play here, in this stadium, wearing a Giants uniform. Somehow I got to live the dream. To say I’m here now years later, on a day like this, is something I could not have imagined.”

Crawford, who received a raucous standing ovation when he stepped onto the field, accompanied by his wife Jalynne and his five young kids, said he spent weeks crafting his speech and even took some cues from the address Posey gave when the Giants paid tribute to their former star catcher and current president of baseball operations in May 2022.

“I actually learned a little bit from watching him,” Crawford said afterward. “His cadence was very good. It helped me out a little bit for today’s speech. But no, it was awesome. It’s far from my favorite thing to be the center of attention, all eyes on me, but I definitely appreciate it. It’s definitely a special day.”

Crawford, of course, always felt more in his element on the field, where he earned three All-Star selections and four Gold Glove Awards after being drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He went on to appear in a franchise record 1,617 regular-season games at shortstop and helped San Francisco capture World Series titles in 2012 and ‘14.

“This man did so much for us, helping us win championships,” said former Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who is now at the helm of the Rangers. “Tremendous player. Gifted defender, obviously. But also, a clutch hitter. A lot of great memories will go through my head when I see him out there. I’m looking forward to it because they’re great memories I think we all got to share together. He was such a big part of it.”

Crawford enjoyed his finest season in 2021, when he finished fourth in National League MVP voting after batting .298/.373/.522 with a career-high 24 home runs and 90 RBIs for the 107-win Giants. He became a free agent for the first time in his career after his two-year, $32 million contract extension with San Francisco expired at the end of the 2023 campaign and chose to play one more season in St. Louis, where he batted .169 over 29 games before being released in August 2024.

While Crawford didn’t end his career in a Giants uniform, he made it clear that San Francisco will always be the place he’ll call home.

“I’ve been lucky enough to experience a lot of incredible moments here in my career, but what’s meant the most is the chance to represent this team and this city, day in and day out for so many years,” Crawford said. “I may be stepping away from the field, but I’ll always be a Giant.”

After finishing his speech, Crawford threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Posey, who drew laughs when he said he thought Crawford looked like a “Zac Efron wannabe” when he first saw him at the Cape Cod League in 2006. The two ended up being part of the same Giants Draft class two years later, forming a friendship that grew even deeper during their frequent commutes to the ballpark in San Francisco.

“It never seemed like any moment -- offensively, defensively -- was too big for him,” Posey said. “He’s a guy you wanted the ball hit to, the guy you wanted to be at bat when the game was on the line. His ability to stabilize our team with his presence at shortstop, day in and day out, was absolutely instrumental to our success.”

With Posey now back in charge of the Giants, Crawford hasn’t ruled out a potential return to the organization in the future, but he said he wants to take at least a year to spend more time with his family.

“I’ve always said my first year out of baseball I was going to be at home and be a dad and get to all the stuff that I missed during the baseball season,” Crawford said. “It’s been busy. Maybe busier than a baseball season, to be honest. But it’s been a lot of fun. I’m still in my house every night, so that part is nice. Potentially down the road, we’ll see what happens."