A Tampa Bay Rays Hall of Famer will be one hand throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the first game of the 2026 American League Championship Series.
Carl Crawford, a 4-time All-Star and winner of a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award, will throw out the first pitch as the Rays play their first ALCS game at Tropicana Field since 2008. Carl Crawford was actually on the field the last time the Rays played in the ALCS at the Trop, playing in left field when Akinori Iwamura stepped on second base
and the late great fellow Rays Hall of Famer Dave Wills declared that “this improbable season has another chapter to it. The Rays are going to the World Series!”
Tampa Bay originally selected Crawford in the 2nd round of the 1999 draft and he quickly became one of the team’s top prospects. In the early years of the Rays franchise, they were extremely aggressive with minor league advancement so despite being selected out of high school, the Rays pushed Crawford to the Majors by the 2002 season and he was their Opening Day left fielder in 2003. On Opening Day that season, Crawford launched a walk-off homerun against the Boston Red Sox kickstarting a new era in Tampa Bay.
Over the next several years, Crawford would infuriate opposing pitchers due to his blazing speed. From 2004 to 2006, Crawford led the league in triples. During a five year stretch from 2003 to 2007, Crawford led the American League in stolen bases. During a game in 2009, Crawford tied a Major League record when he collected six stolen bases in a single game, a feat that has not been accomplished since.
Crawford currently ranks 2nd on the Rays all-time fWAR leaderboard while also having set the franchise record for hits, singles, triples, and stolen bases.
Following his foray into free agency after the 2010 season, Crawford would play with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers before being released in 2016 and effectively retiring following the season.
Overall, Crawford hit .290/.330/.435 with 136 HR, registering a 104 wRC+ and stealing 480 bases over 1,716 games played for his career.
In 2023, Crawford became the third person inducted into the Rays Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class
