Crawford cites racial slur after rehab outing

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Carl Crawford came away from his third rehab game with the Portland Sea Dogs encouraged, having finished his outing against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats going 1-for-4 with a triple.

But one negative stood out for Crawford, who referenced a fan who heckled the outfielder to the point where it was mentioned after Thursday night's game.

"[That guy] actually called me a racial slur to begin the game with,” Crawford said when asked about a fan who had been noticeably vocal in his criticism of the Sox outfielder. “He was the only one I had a problem with. People in Boston don’t even do that so I don’t even know what that was about.

“I can understand why people can be upset about me signing my contract and me having the kind of year I had. I understand. They love their team and they want you to produce when you signed the contract like that. I can’t get mad at them. All I can do is just get ready to play this year and try to produce."

Update: A man claiming to be the person who heckled Crawford called the Dennis & Callahan show Friday morning and denied he used any racial slurs. The man, who identified himself as a 32-year-old disgruntled Red Sox fan named Thomas, said he only booed and yelled that Crawford was overpaid.

For more of what transpired in the Double-A game, which also featured Ryan Sweeney's rehab performance, click here. [1] For more Red Sox news, go to the team page at weei.com/redsox [2].