March 27, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford got two hits in his MLB debut and had the green light at times to steal, but didn't swipe his first bag yet.
PHILADELPHIA – Formerly a leadoff hitter in the minors, Justin Crawford developed a sense during his climb through the Phillies' farm system of when to be aggressive and when to be patient and set the table.
"It depends," the Phillies rookie said Wednesday after he collected two hits in his anticipated Major League Baseball debut.
"If I feel like I've seen a guy a couple times or I feel good, if it's over the plate I'm gonna take a swing," he added. "But it could be different if it's a guy maybe I haven't seen or not too comfortable with, I might try to see a couple pitches."
Safe to say Crawford must have felt good on Opening Day, both before and after he laced a single in his first at-bat, a hard shot to center off Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi, a two-time All Star and two-time World Series champion who Crawford had surely never seen before.
Eovaldi, one of baseball's savviest right-handers, hasn't pitched in the minors since a Triple-A rehab stint in 2022, the same year the Phils drafted Crawford in the first round and started his career at Single-A.
Eovaldi's reputation is for keeping batters off balance with a dizzying array of splitters and curves. That didn't stop Crawford from pouncing on the veteran's first delivery and sending the 94 mph four-seam fastball into center for a single, a moment that he called "a sigh of relief" for both him and a section at Citizens Bank Park full of friends and family leaning on the kid's every move.
That group included his father, Carl Crawford, a four-time All Star outfielder who played 15 seasons in the majors and starred on the 2008 Tampa Bay Devil Rays team that lost to the Phillies in the World Series.
"I think he was more nervous than I was," Justin joked. "It was nice to be able to allow him to take a deep breath."
Carl Crawford stole 50 or more bases four times in his career. Justin has stolen 40 or more in each of his past three seasons in the minors, including 46 last year, third most in the International League.
Despite the two hits he provided from the 9 hole, which the Phillies hope is upgraded over last year's assortment that produced a .307 on base percentage, it's Justin Crawford's speed that could change the calculus for a very top-heavy Phillies lineup that has struggled to produce runs outside the order's top three.
Phils manager Rob Thomson observed that Rangers pitchers were already paying attention to the rookie after both singles.
"So even if he doesn't get a stolen base," Topper added, "he creates some havoc just that way."
And that's where the Phillies can envision some major advantages to having Crawford rounding out the order, and theoretically setting the table at the turn of the lineup.
Crawford singled again in his second at-bat, lining a signature Eovaldi splitter to center lead off the fifth, creating an automatic RBI situation for last year's NL batting champion Trea Turner, followed by last year's NL home run king Kyle Schwarber, followed by a two-time NL MVP in Bryce Harper.
Turner, who made changes in his approach last season to be more of a table-setter, only drove in 69 runs, his fewest in any season that he played at least 140 games.
But RBI opportunities were scarce given the collective .255 on base percentage from Phillies 8-hole hitters and .307 from the 9-hole.
With Crawford taking an aggressive lead, Turner looked at a first-pitch strike and then fouled off two splitters to get into an 0-2 hole. Crawford ended up sticking at first, and Turner lined a single to center – one that possibly could've plated Crawford had the rookie swiped second. At very least, Crawford would've been standing on third with nobody out and Schwarber up.
"If I got a green light I'm gonna be always looking to steal, until they tell me not to," Crawford promised. "If the count is right, if I feel like it's a good time to steal, I'm going to steal."
Was he looking to steal?
"I was," Crawford said.
Did he get any green lights?
"Yeah I did - I had the green light at times, I had the red light at times," he added. "It kind of fluctuates."
The decision to stay at first appeared like it might come back to haunt the Phils as Schwarber and Harper each struck out, but Alec Bohm came through with a three-run shot to right field that broke the game open at 5-0.
When asked about the balance between being aggressive and not running into outs with three All Stars hitting behind Crawford, Thomson said this season would be a litmus test on finding that comfort zone.
"That's part of the learning curve," he said. "He's still developing a little bit. There are times that there are going to be learning moments, teaching moments – and we're gonna have to handle them."
One of them came in Crawford's next at bat, with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth. Facing rookie right-hander Carter Baumler, Crawford went after a first-pitch fastball and swung through the 96 mph four-seamer to fall behind early.
Two pitches later, he fouled off a 1-2 curve before fouling out to third, stranding all three base runners. Crawford admitted that he walked to the plate with wide eyes for his first major league RBI opportunity.
"Oh definitely. I was just trying to put a good swing on it, ended up chasing a pitch," he said. "But that's alright. That's why I got a lot more."
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