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Seattle Mariners ' shortstop J.P. Crawford joined some rare company in recent baseball history on Saturday by hitting a leadoff home run against the Kansas City Royals.
Per @MarinersPR on social media:
@JP_Crawford hits his 11th career leadoff home run and his 5th leadoff HR on the first pitch.
Crawford's 4 leadoff HR on the first pitch since 2023 are tied for most in @MLB with Kyle Schwarber-PHI and Marcus Semien-TEX.
.@JP_Crawford hits his 11th career leadoff home run and his 5th leadoff HR on the first pitch.
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) June 8, 2024
Crawford's 4 leadoff HR on the first pitch since 2023 are tied for most in @MLB with Kyle Schwarber-PHI and Marcus Semien-TEX.
Crawford certainly has upped his power production since the 2023 season began. After spending the offseason prior to 2023 training at Driveline, Crawford hit a career-high 19 homers last season. he's got five this year in just 159 at-bats, having missed time on the injured list with an oblique issue.
The 29-year-old, always known as a good defender, has become a reliable spark at the top of the M's order. He's got 17 RBI this season and a .683 OPS, though his offense has continued to tick upwards since his return.
Lifetime, Crawford is a .250 hitter. He's in his eighth year in the big leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies and Mariners. He was acquired by Seattle prior to the 2019 season and has become a team leader ever since his arrival.
The Mariners enter play on Sunday at 36-30 and in first place in the American League West. They'll finish out the series on Sunday afternoon with the Royals, who have taken the first two games of the series.
The M's and Royals will play at 12:10 p.m. PT before the M's return back to T-Mobile Series on Monday against the Chicago White Sox.
More must-reads:
- Brewers officially have a legit MVP candidate
- Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite
- The 'American League WAR leaders' quiz
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