Red Sox Ace Garrett Crochet Ties Pirates’ Paul Skenes With Latest Masterpiece
The Boston Red Sox suffered their fourth straight loss on Tuesday night, but it wasn’t Garrett Crochet’s fault.
The Red Sox ace was stellar as usual, turning in another dominant outing. He blanked the Los Angeles Angels over seven strong innings, racking up 10 strikeouts while yielding just three walks and three hits. He also had great command, throwing 67 of his 103 pitches for strikes.
Unfortunately for him, Boston scored only one run while he was in the game, leaving him with a no-decision after losing 3-2 in 10 innings.
Despite the disappointing ending, it was another phenomenal performance for Crochet. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in 14 of his 17 starts this year, tying Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes for the most such starts in baseball.
The 26-year-old southpaw has flourished in his first season with the Red Sox, going 7-4 with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 109 1/3 innings. He also leads the Major Leagues with 135 strikeouts, making him an early frontrunner for the American League Cy Young Award.
Crochet has been remarkably consistent, yielding two runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 starts. He’s also gone at least five innings in every start this year, giving Boston’s rotation some much-needed length and giving his team a chance to win every time he takes the mound.
After breaking out with the Chicago White Sox last year, Crochet has been even better this year. He’s likely headed for his second straight All-Star nod and ranks among the best pitchers in the sport alongside Skenes, Tarik Skubal and Max Fried.
The tall lefty is also on pace for a historic campaign. He’s only the second pitcher in Red Sox history to record at least 110 strikeouts and fewer than 30 runs allowed through his first 17 starts in a season, joining Pedro Martinez (2000).
Crochet will look to keep rolling in his next scheduled start against the Cincinnati Reds at home on Monday. He’s still looking for his first win at Fenway Park this year despite posting a 2.13 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and a 10.0 K/9 in seven starts there, so it would help if he got some run support.