When the San Francisco Giants landed pitcher Justin Verlander last week, it created quite the dilemma for fans over a jersey number for the future Hall of Famer.
For all but two games in his MLB career, Verlander has worn the number 35. But for Giants fans, that number belongs to longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford, who is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played at the position and a key part of two championship teams, including beating Verlander’s Tigers in 2012. Crawford, who retired from baseball in November, also continued a trend of longtime shortstops wearing that number in San Francisco, including Rich Aurilia and Chris Speier before Crawford.