- Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet struck out 11 Yankees in his unbelievable postseason debut.
- Boston acquired Crochet last winter and signed him to a $170 million extension.
- The Red Sox can advance to the ALDS with a win in Game 2 on Wednesday.
NEW YORK – Garrett Crochet seemingly had plenty left in the tank.
In an era where starting pitchers are yanked at the first sign of trouble, usually before completing six innings, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora rolled the dice and let his ace play the starring role.
On the last of his career-high 117th pitches, Crochet blew a 100-mph four-seam heater by Austin Wells, who went back to the New York Yankees’ bench in disgust as the Red Sox ace’s 11th strikeout victim.
It was the most pitches by a starter in a playoff game since Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg threw 117 in Game 3 of the 2019 National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“With them leaving me in there, I wanted to honor that decision. I felt like he’s put a lot of faith in me this year, and I haven’t let him down yet,” Crochet said. “So I was going to be damn sure this wasn’t the first time.
“I feel like in this environment it is hard to feel any sort of fatigue beyond mental. Up until that point I was incredibly locked into the game, especially right after we took the lead. There was a lot at stake, so it kept me locked in and engaged the whole time.”
Crochet, who improved to 4-0 against the Yankees this year, held the Bronx Bombers at bay until his offense picked up the slack in the top half of the innings, staking him to a 2-1 lead, ultimately, holding on for a 3-1 victory in Game 1 of the wild card series. Boston is one win away from an ALDS matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We are talking about a stud pitcher. I still thought we got some good swings off,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Crochet. “Look, he’s really good. I thought we had some decent at-bats. We weren’t able to pressure them enough and put enough traffic against him to put him in real trouble.”
The 26-year-old Crochet had it working all night, from his lethal heater to his slider. The one mistake he did make was when Anthony Volpe, who had two of the four hits against Crochet, sent a 97 mph slider into the right field seats. Volpe’s 382-foot home run would have cleared the fences in every major league ballpark – except Boston’s Fenway Park.
That’s precisely why Red Sox management sent four prospects to the Chicago White Sox in December for the left-hander, for performances like he had Tuesday night. The six-year, $170 million extension he signed in March is looking all the more genius.
“He’s the best pitcher in the game,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who went 2-for-4 in Game 1. “He’s going to work all his pitches. We got the Volpe homer but after we got guys on we couldn’t do much after that.”
Cora said he never felt Crochet was overextended because of the care that Boston has taken to keep him fresh. But a Monday conversation with his ace foreshadowed Game 1, Crochet telling Cora that he would be handing the ball ‘straight to (closer Aroldis Chapman).’
“You have to make sure you stay with the process. That’s the most important thing. For how great he was tonight, I tip my hat to the medical staff,” Cora added. “They have done an amazing job with a guy that has never pitched 200 innings, had never made more than 30 starts, has never pitched seven and two-thirds in the playoffs.”
Crochet’s seven-inning masterclass saw him retire 17 of the final 18 batters he faced in his first postseason start. Over the last month of the season, Crochet began throwing more sinkers because his cutter was getting hit and the command on his four-seam fastball was spotty.
‘He is a guy that wants it bad, to be honest with you,’ Cora said. ‘He was in a situation last year that he was learning how to become a starter. He got traded to become the ace. He got paid like an ace, and since day one he has acted like that.’
Crochet also doesn’t let the outside noise affect how he goes about his business.
“For me, it was just a commitment to play for the team that, you know, I owed something to. At the time, it was the White Sox, now it is the Red Sox,’ he said. “I am going to do everything I can to give us a chance to win every time I grab the ball.”