J.P. Crawford was a humongous part of the M's 7-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
The Seattle Mariners pulled out a fantastic 7-6 win on Friday night at T-Mobile Park over the Arizona Diamondbacks, pulling back to .500 at 29-29 on the campaign. The Mariners, who have now won four straight games, are in first place in the American League West by 1.5 games over the Athletics, who lost to the New York Yankees on Friday.
Julio Rodriguez had a big night in the win, registering three hits, including a home run, and Randy Arozarena had the walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning, but the contributions of shortstop J.P. Crawford cannot be ignored.
The much-maligned veteran hit two home runs, registering the first multi-home run game of his career, and also made a potentially game-saving play in the top of the 10th inning.
Tied at 6-6 in the top of the frame, the Diamondbacks had the go-ahead run at third base for All-Star Corbin Carroll. Carroll blistered one at more than 100 mph up the middle, but Crawford snared it on a dive, looked the runner back and then got the out at first.
Cooper Criswell retired the next batter to keep the game tied, giving the M's a chance to win it.
Crawford's defense has been the subject of much discussion this season, with Crawford himself even working on a transition to third base as a result of it.
As noted by Baseball Savant, he's one of the worst defenders in the sport, with his range falling in the first percentile and his arm strength in the 20th. His throws have been increasingly off target, especially of late.
One day, perhaps someday soon, Colt Emerson will be the shortstop for the M's, but Crawford provided a little flashback to what made him a Gold Glover in the COVID 2020 season on Friday night.
The Mariners needed it. Crawford likely needed it. And Mariners fans need to give him proper acknowledgement for his contributions to one of the best wins of the campaign.
Up next for the Mariners
The Mariners will look to get back above .500 for the first time since March 30 on Saturday night when they play the Diamondbacks at 7:10 p.m. PT.
Right-hander Bryan Woo, coming off a loss last Sunday, will pitch against right-hander Ryne Nelson. Woo is 4-3 with a 3.82 ERA while Nelson is 2-3 with a 4.65.
The series will conclude on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT.
Of note
You can listen to the most recent edition of the 'Refuse To Lose Territory' podcast featuring Foul Territory TV host Scott Braun here, or you can watch the episode on YouTube.
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