You can’t pick your family and no one knows that better than Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. His sister Amy married Astros starter Gerrit Cole in November 2016, so the two players are brothers-in-law.
The two players have matched up against each other 18 times in the past, as Cole spent his first five seasons in the National League with the Pirates. Cole often won that battle, holding Crawford to four hits -- all singles -- in 18 plate appearances.
Crawford finally got the better of Cole on Tuesday night, hitting a line drive into the appropriately-named Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park for a two-run home run, cutting the Astros’ lead to 5-2.
A home run by Crawford into the Crawford boxes at Minute Maid Park...against his brother-in-law. Sounds good to us, @bcraw35
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) May 23, 2018
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/uFIyLYRmvl
Gerrit Cole signed the pair of cleats he wore tonight and sent them over to brother-in-law Brandon Crawford. On one shoe he wrote "Outta here” and on the other he wrote "Adios, pelota."
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) May 23, 2018
"I try to have a little fun with it," Cole said.