Mar 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) hits a single during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Marsh said Thursday afternoon that he would be "living through" Justin Crawford during his MLB Debut. If that's the case, Marsh must have really enjoyed Opening Day.
In addition to roping a pair of doubles, Marsh got to see Crawford shine in a 5-3 Phillies win over the Texas Rangers to begin the 2026 season.
Hitting ninth in Rob Thomson's lineup Thursday, Crawford went after the first pitch he saw in his career, singling off of Nathan Eovaldi in the bottom of the second inning:
Justin Crawford got his first MLB hit on the first MLB pitch he saw👀 pic.twitter.com/tD0oMObqUU
Three innings later, Crawford led off the top of the fifth with a second single, ultimately scoring on a three-run home run by Alec Bohm that gave the Phillies some breathing room.
According to Jeff Kerr of 97.3 ESPN, Crawford — who played today at 22 years and 72 days old — is the youngest player to collect multiple hits on Opening Day for the Phillies since Mike Anderson did so as a 20-year-old back in 1972.
Rob Thomson was thoroughly impressed with Crawford's debut.
"Great, great start," Thomson said of his impressions of Crawford. "Had a couple hits, and they paid attention to him on the bases. So even if he doesn't get a stolen base, he creates some havoc just that way."
Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber — who hit an Opening Day home run a year after launching an NL-best 56 bombs — also liked what he saw from Crawford.
"His at-bats have been great throughout the spring, and I mean, he's such a raw player, right? I feel like there's gonna be so much room for growth," Schwarber said.
"The guy hits, I think that's kinda the biggest takeaway is that the guy just gets hits, he finds a way to get hits. And he can be a big problem on the basepaths. So I'm excited to get him up here, get him comfortable and obviously see where this year takes him, but also to see where the development side goes when he's gonna be 28, 29, 30 and see what kinda player he's gonna be."
Kyle Schwarber on Justin Crawford: “The guy hits. I think that’s kinda the biggest takeaway.” @OnPattison pic.twitter.com/U1tVLVIhJe
Crawford had about 40 friends and family here for his MLB Debut, with both sides of his family coming into town. He doesn't know who is going to get to keep the ball that was his first hit.
"I'm not sure yet," Crawford said with a smile. "Between my mom, my dad and my grandma, I'm sure a few people are gonna be fighting over where they want it. I'm honestly not sure yet."
Among those in attendance was his father, Carl, a four-time MLB All-Star who played 15 years in the majors. The two shared a special moment following the game.
"He just said I'm so proud of you, proud of you for everything you've done," an emotional Crawford said. "We've come a long, and being able to get to this moment and see it, I think he was more nervous than I was. So it was nice being able to kinda allow him to take a deep breath. But it was a really special moment with him."
Crawford did have a chance to take his MLB Debut from good to great in the bottom of the eighth inning when he came up with the bases loaded and two outs. Instead, he flew out. Still, it's hard not to feel like his first game was a success. Now, he needs to decide who is getting the ball, and find out where he can get his mom a vegan cheesesteak.
Justin Crawford said his mom tried to order a cheesesteak with no meat at Skinny Joey’s because she’s vegan 😂
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/pJ3aNtemPH
