Alex Cora Defends Decision To Let Garrett Crochet Pitch Ninth Inning

Garrett Crochet didn’t complete Friday’s dominant start in storybook fashion.

Crochet tossed eight scoreless innings against the New York Yankees, notching three of his seven strikeouts against Aaron Judge. So with the reigning American League MVP due up in the ninth inning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave Crochet a chance to pitch his first career complete game.

Judge instead hit a home run over the Green Monster to tie the game at 1-1. While Crochet didn’t finish his gem, the Red Sox still secured a 2-1 victory in extra innings.

Following the dramatic win, Cora discussed his decision to keep Crochet in the game.

“That wasn’t fun, but our guy was throwing great,” Cora told reporters, per ESPN. “He was efficient toward the end. We gave him a shot. It didn’t work out. That’s why [Judge] is who he is. One of the best in world, and he got one pitch down and he hit it out of the ballpark. You tip your hat.”

Fans at Fenway Park seemed to appreciate Cora sticking with his ace, as they gave the 25-year-old a standing ovation when he approached the mound for the ninth.

“I could tell the fans wanted me out there,” Crochet said. “I already wanted to be out there pretty bad. But it made it mean a little bit more. It made me grab a little bit more in that inning. I wish I could have finished it out.”

Crochet struck out Judge in six consecutive encounters before the superstar outfielder deposited his 26th home run of the season. Judge handled a 99-mph heater that had flummoxed him throughout Friday’s pitching duel.

“I’m going to live and die with my best pitch,” Crochet said. “Whether it be pitch selection or execution, tough way to end it. But overall, I felt really good tonight.”

Cora removed him during the ninth, but Crochet’s 8 1/3 innings pitched still represented a career high for the converted reliever. The southpaw bolstered his All-Star and AL Cy Young Award cases by improving his ERA to 2.24 with an MLB-leading 117 strikeouts.