Willie Crawford

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#083c6b
bgcolor2=#083c6b
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Willie Crawford


position=Outfielder
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=September 7, 1946
deathdate=death date and age|2004|8|27|1946|9|7
debutdate=September 16
debutyear=1964
debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers
finaldate=October 1
finalyear=1977
finalteam=Oakland Athletics
stat1label=AVG
stat1value=.268
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=921
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=419
teams=
*Los Angeles Dodgers (by|1964-by|1975)
*St. Louis Cardinals (by|1976)
*Houston Astros (by|1977)
*Oakland Athletics (by|1977)
highlights=

Willie Murphy Crawford (Born September 7, 1946 in Los Angeles, California - Died August 27, 2004 in Los Angeles, California) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played with Los Angeles Dodgers (1964-1975), St. Louis Cardinals (1976), Houston Astros (1977) and Oakland Athletics (1977). Crawford was born in Los Angeles, California. He batted and threw left-handed.

Defensively, he played in a shallow manor, so as to cut down on potential "Texas Leaguers" [http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/texas_leaguer_texas_league_hit/] .

Crawford's strong arm was able to cut down ambitious baserunners. Also, he was able to get a good jump on the ball and used his full speed to track down deep fly balls.

Offensively, he was a line-drive hitter, a consistent basepath threat, and an opportune hitter in the clutch.

Crawford debuted on September 16, 1964, at the age of 17. As a rookie, he batted .312 (5-for-16) with three runs, one double, and stole a base. He had a pinch-hit single in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series, when the Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins.

On April 7, 1970, Reds pitcher Gary Nolan defeated the Dodgers, 4–0, on a 2-hitter. Both hits were batted by Crawford, in the 4th and 9th innings. [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/C/Crawford_Willie.stm] .

In his best season, 1973, he hit .295, with 14 homers and 66 RBI in 145 games. Then, in 1974, he hit .333 and belted a home run against Oakland in the World Series.

Crawford played for the Dodgers through the end of the 1975 season, compiling a .268 average, with 74 home runs and 335 RBIs in a total of 989 games. He was traded to St. Louis in March 1976. He hit .304 in 120 games for the Cardinals with nine home runs and 50 RBIs. He was traded again after the 1976 season. The Cardinals sent Crawford to the San Francisco Giants. He never played for the Giants, being traded to Houston in before the 1977 season began. He played 42 games for the Astros and 59 games for Oakland Athletics that season, his last in the major leagues.

During his 12-year career, Crawford appeared in 1,210 games and hitting .268 with 86 home runs and 419 RBI. His career numbers included 507 runs, 152 doubles, 35 triples, 47 stolen bases, and 431 walks for a .329 on base percentage.

At age 57, Willie Crawford died at his home in Los Angeles, apparently of kidney disease. [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/02/sports/baseball/02crawford.html?ex=1181448000&en=f0b0b65e0996c80b&ei=5070] He was buried in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

External links

*Willie Crawford at:
** [http://www.thebaseballpage.com/past/att/dodgers/default.htm Baseball Page - Dodgers All-Time Team]
** [http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/crawfwi01.shtml Baseball Reference]