Paxton Crawford
Encyclopedia
Paxton Keith Crawford is a former player in Major League Baseball
who played from 2000 to 2001.
Crawford is most remembered in Boston for suffering an unusual injury in July 2000 just prior to an expected recall to the Red Sox from their Pawtucket Red Sox
AAA affiliate. A day after pitching a 7 inning no-hitter, he allegedly rolled off a hotel bed in Ottawa
and landed on a glass that he had left on the floor. The injury required eight stitches.
The Magazine article by Amy Nelson, Crawford, who is now out of baseball, admitted to using the steroids Deca-Durabolin
and Winstrol
, human growth hormone and amphetamines from 1999-2001. In the article, Paxton claims that other Red Sox players used and "openly encouraged him to use" drugs and even laughed "when he spilled needles in front of his locker". Current members of the Red Sox who played with Crawford and many former Red Sox players have criticized Crawford and denied that there was an open drug culture in the locker room. However, during the 2000 season, police investigated Red Sox infielder Manny Alexander
after they discovered steroids and syringes during a search of his car during a traffic stop.
Crawford's name appeared in the Mitchell Report
, released on December 13, , as a result of his admitted use of performance enhancing drugs. The committee requested Crawford appear for an interview but he declined stating "that he did not “do that stuff anymore,” that he was sorry he had used those substances in the past and that he just wanted to be left alone".
Crawford made 15 appearances with Boston between 2000 and 2001, going 5-1 with a 4.15 ERA. His major-league career ended shortly after he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back in June 2001 and had shoulder surgery in February 2002. The Red Sox released him in October 2002. Crawford also said, continuous pain was also a cause of his steroid use.
In August 2004, Crawford was suspended for 15 days for violating the league's alcohol and drug abuse policy while playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts
, the Double A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. In 2004, he made 18 relief appearances for Chattanooga, compiling a 3.93 ERA and a 1-1 record. He made 18 starts in the 2005 season for the independent Long Island Ducks
, going 8-8 with an ERA of 4.22.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played from 2000 to 2001.
Professional career
He was drafted in 1995 by the Boston Red Sox and worked as reliever and spot starter for the team in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. After the 2002 season, which he spent in the minors, he became a free agent and signed briefly with the Oakland Athletics in 2003 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2004, but he never made another appearance in the major leagues.Crawford is most remembered in Boston for suffering an unusual injury in July 2000 just prior to an expected recall to the Red Sox from their Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
AAA affiliate. A day after pitching a 7 inning no-hitter, he allegedly rolled off a hotel bed in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and landed on a glass that he had left on the floor. The injury required eight stitches.
Steroid use admission
On June 21, 2006, in an ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
The Magazine article by Amy Nelson, Crawford, who is now out of baseball, admitted to using the steroids Deca-Durabolin
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
and Winstrol
Stanozolol
Stanozolol, commonly sold under the name Winstrol , Tenabol and Winstrol Depot , was developed by Winthrop Laboratories in 1962...
, human growth hormone and amphetamines from 1999-2001. In the article, Paxton claims that other Red Sox players used and "openly encouraged him to use" drugs and even laughed "when he spilled needles in front of his locker". Current members of the Red Sox who played with Crawford and many former Red Sox players have criticized Crawford and denied that there was an open drug culture in the locker room. However, during the 2000 season, police investigated Red Sox infielder Manny Alexander
Manny Alexander
Manuel De Jesús Alexander is a professional baseball infielder who currently plays for the Philadelphia Phillies Of Major League Baseball. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles , New York Mets , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox , Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres...
after they discovered steroids and syringes during a search of his car during a traffic stop.
Crawford's name appeared in the Mitchell Report
Mitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
, released on December 13, , as a result of his admitted use of performance enhancing drugs. The committee requested Crawford appear for an interview but he declined stating "that he did not “do that stuff anymore,” that he was sorry he had used those substances in the past and that he just wanted to be left alone".
Crawford made 15 appearances with Boston between 2000 and 2001, going 5-1 with a 4.15 ERA. His major-league career ended shortly after he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back in June 2001 and had shoulder surgery in February 2002. The Red Sox released him in October 2002. Crawford also said, continuous pain was also a cause of his steroid use.
In August 2004, Crawford was suspended for 15 days for violating the league's alcohol and drug abuse policy while playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
, the Double A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. In 2004, he made 18 relief appearances for Chattanooga, compiling a 3.93 ERA and a 1-1 record. He made 18 starts in the 2005 season for the independent Long Island Ducks
Long Island Ducks
The Long Island Ducks is an American professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, going 8-8 with an ERA of 4.22.
External links
- MLB.com historical statistics
- Baseball Reference minor league statistics