Alex Cora Reveals Why He Trusted Red Sox Ace In Critical Spot Vs. Yankees
Modern pitchers rarely go more than five or six innings nowadays, especially in the playoffs.
However, Garrett Crochet isn’t a normal pitcher. He’s one of the best hurlers in baseball, and that’s why Alex Cora didn’t rush to take him out in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday.
Going into the bottom of the eighth, the Red Sox led the New York Yankees 2-1. With Crochet at 100 pitches, it seemed like the perfect time to take him out and turn the game over to Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman — two of the best relievers in MLB this year.
However, Cora stuck with Crochet coming off a six-pitch seventh inning, opting to bypass Whitlock. The gutsy call paid off, as Crochet got two more key outs before departing with a runner on first, allowing Chapman to finish off the win and preserving Whitlock for Game 2.
After the game, Cora revealed why he brought Crochet back out for the eighth.
“The stuff was still really good at that point. He was throwing 97, 98,” Cora said. “The previous inning was a quick one, so it gave us a chance to push the envelope in the eighth…so I didn’t hesitate.”
Crochet finished with 117 pitches — the most of his career and the most by a Boston pitcher in a postseason game since Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.
Baseball has changed a lot in the two decades since then, but Cora took an old-school approach with his ace, trusting his eyes and his gut.
It proved to be the right call, as Crochet still had plenty of gas left in the tank. His final pitch of the night was clocked at 100.2 mph, tied for the fastest of his career. He finished with 11 strikeouts, capping off one of the best postseason starts in Red Sox history.
Crochet has been outstanding all year, earning Cora’s trust with six months of excellence. In the biggest game of the season so far, that confidence paid off.