Red Sox Avoid Sweep Behind Garrett Crochet’s Gem

When the Boston Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet, they envisioned him pitching in games like Sunday night’s.

The Red Sox were sliding, having lost two in a row to the New York Yankees. Their competitors for the American League Wild Card all won on Saturday, making up ground in the playoff hunt. A three-game sweep versus your most bitter rivals would have put the Fenway Park crowd on edge.

That’s what aces are for, though. The Yankees had grabbed a lead in the first inning in the first two games of the series. Crochet took the mound in the first and made sure that didn’t happen, recording two strikeouts and three outs on just 11 pitches.

Crochet brought something extra to the mound on Sunday night. His four-seam fastball averaged 97.8 mph, his highest mark of the season and 1.5 mph above his season average. He overpowered opposing hitters with both his four-seam and sinker throughout his six innings of work.

“It’s a must-win game. I like to think I get up for those,” Crochet said.

The lefty changed his approach slightly, as well. He threw fewer sweepers to right-handed hitters, instead throwing more cutters and sinkers. When he did pull the string with his sweeper, it worked well, returning three whiffs. He attacked, stayed in the zone and kept hitters off balance, leading to 12 strikeouts. That number tied for his season high.

His outing wasn’t without hiccups. In the fourth inning, he lost his command for a moment and surrendered a two-run home run. Aaron Judge hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, as well. Apart from that, Crochet was dominant, which was exactly what the Red Sox needed.

The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros both lost on Sunday, allowing the Red Sox to reclaim some of their lead as they beat the Yankees, 6-3. The two AL West teams play a three-game series against each other beginning on Monday. If Boston can take care of business against the Athletics, they’ll be in good shape entering the final three series of the regular season.