Oct. 29, 2012

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Los Angeles, Calif. - Former UCLA shortstop Brandon Crawford helped the San Francisco Giants earn a sweep of the Detroit Tigers last night, giving the Giants their second World Series title in three years and seventh in franchise history.

Crawford, who starred at UCLA from 2006-08, hit .250 in the four World Series games, recording a RBI and a stolen base as well. He especially came up big in the two games in Detroit, going 2-3 with a RBI in Game 3 to lead the Giants to a 2-0 victory over the Tigers while playing stellar defense at shortstop. Then in Game 4 with the Giants down 2-1 in the fifth inning and a runner on first, Crawford made a terrific bare-handed play to get Quintin Berry out at first to end any threat by the Tigers. Buster Posey then homered in the top of the sixth to give the Giants the lead.

Overall, Crawford hit .217 in the postseason with seven RBI, three runs and a .321 on-base percentage. He also walked seven times in the playoffs, good for second best on the Giants. The Pleasanton, Calif. native, who grew up a Giants fan, played in 143 games during the regular season, hitting .248 with four home runs, 45 RBI and 44 runs while again anchoring the Giants defense.

"We are very proud and excited for Brandon," head coach John Savage said. "To win a World Championship is a remarkable accomplishment. The defense that he played throughout the series was tremendous. He had a phenomenal career at UCLA and hasn't skipped a beat in the big leagues."

Crawford also becomes the 13th former UCLA baseball player to have led his major league team to a World Series title. Previously, Chase Utley led the Philadelphia Philles to a World Series title back in 2008, the franchise's first championship since 1980. In October 2004, Dave Roberts guided the Boston Red Sox to the championship, ending Boston's 86-year drought without a World Series title.

Troy Glaus, a standout UCLA infielder from 1995-97, has been the only former Bruin to capture World Series MVP honors. Glaus led the Anaheim Angels to the 2002 World Series title, defeating the San Francisco Giants in seven games. The legendary Jackie Robinson has made the most World Series appearances of any former UCLA ballplayer, playing in six World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers while Bobby Brown has won the most World Series titles of any former UCLA player, winning four titles with the New York Yankees.