Dodgers News: Carl Crawford Excited For Series Against Red Sox
The the anniversary of the Dodgers-Red Sox trade is on Sunday and the two teams will square off tonight to begin a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto will be in uniform, while the prospects the Dodgers sent to the Red Sox aren’t with the big league club. However, it sounds like Crawford has the most to prove of the three as he was the main reason the Sox wanted to complete the trade due to his expensive contract.
Talking to Kevin Baxter of the LA Times, Crawford notices a huge difference in the Dodgers clubhouse and can’t wait for tonight:
You just walk in the clubhouse and you got a positive feel. That was just a bad experience, Crawford said of his time in Boston. I definitely felt like I had a chance to get a fresh start. With a team, new atmosphere, new environment. New everything. I want to win all three games. Bad. Then on to the next series.
In two years with the Red Sox, Crawford play 161 games, hit .260 with 14 home runs and 75 RBIs as he dealt with multiple injuries during his years in Boston.
Crawford signed a seven-year $142 million contract with the Red Sox in 2010 and in 2012, his injuries became an issue. He dealt with a wrist injury for the beginning part of the season, before having season-ending Tommy John surgery in late August.
Gone was general manager Theo Epstein and new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wanted a fresh start with guys he wanted to be there:
“At the time things weren’t going well for us and we simply weren’t who we wanted to be. Though there were many reasons for that, we felt a significant reallocation of money might allow us to re-shape the team more quickly and get us started down a different path.
It’s clear that both teams are happy with the way the trade shaped their franchises as both start tonight in first place and are eyeing a spot in the World Series.
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In case you missed it, be sure to find out more about Yasiel Puig’s fine in Miami.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oLa8-4mb68
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