Justin Crawford makes strong first impression in first week with Phillies

PHILADELPHIA — With the winning run on third and the infield in, the Phillies had the right guy at the plate.

It’s not often that a rookie on a team full of veterans is the guy you want to see hitting in a big spot in a walk-off situation, but that just speaks to how good of a contact hitter the Phillies have in outfielder Justin Crawford.

Crawford, on the first pitch he saw from Nationals reliever Cole Henry, smacked a hard grounder just to the left of second baseman Nasim Nuñez for the winning run in the Phillies’ 6-5 win in 10 innings on Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

With the team down to their last strike with a two-run deficit, Edmundo Sosa tied the game in the ninth inning on a base hit to left field. The second baseman, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, made an impressive leaping grab in the top of the 10th to double up the additonal runner on second Daylen Lile.

The win salvaged a 3-3 homestand. The vibes are considerably better as the team heads on the road for the start of a three-game series in Colorado beginning Friday.

“We’re never out of it,” Bryce Harper, who hit his first home run of the year in the eighth inning, said. “Obviously, we’ve got a great group of guys in here. You know, we grind back, have good at-bats and put balls in play. Good comeback win right there.”

Crawford met J.T. Realmuto between first and second for a leaping side bump. Kyle Schwarber dumped a couple of water bottles on the center fielder. His teammates raced out of the dugout in celebration of the Phillies’ first walk-off victory of the year. “Let’s go,” Crawford said when the ball left the bat.

“Something I’ll remember for a very long time,” Crawford said.

Wednesday was another day of firsts for Crawford. Not only did he record his first major league walk-off hit, he also got his first career extra-base hit in the fourth inning on an opposite field double. The left fielder James Wood came in, thinking the fly ball was going to be more of a flare. The ball landed over his head.

Spraying the ball all around the diamond and causing chaos is a big part of his offensive game. The two teams the Phillies have played so far, the Rangers and Nationals, have different strategies for shifting infielders against Crawford. The Rangers, in his first major league at-bat, brought the third baseman in to play the bunt. The Nationals tended to keep the third baseman a little farther back with the shortstop closer to second base to protect against ground balls up the middle.

“I want them as in as possible,” Crawford said. “I want to see them in and try to use all the tools I can to help me get on base.”

So far, he’s proven to be a tough out. He got the ball past the third baseman in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s win for a single. He opened up Wednesday’s game with a high chopper that he was able to beat out for an infield hit. He was robbed of a line drive single on Tuesday on a great leaping catch from CJ Abrams.

Manager Rob Thomson is impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“Outstanding,” Thomson said about Crawford’s first five games. “Three hits today, a walk-off, he’s playing really good defense. He’s playing smart baseball. He’s attempting to bunt when he should be. He’s throwing to the right base. He’s doing a lot of really good things.”

Crawford, a two-time minor league batting champion, is hitting .412 through five starts. Ted Williams in 1941 is still the last player to bat .400 in a full season. Trea Turner was the only qualified hitter in the National League to bat over .300 last season.

Hitting is as hard as it’s ever been. Crawford’s batting average won’t always start with a 4 or 3, but it’s encouraging nonetheless to see the top prospect off to a good start as a big leaguer.

“It’s gone by fast,” Crawford said about his first week in the majors. “Trying to enjoy it, but still also trying to stay focused each and every day and be ready to play.”