NEW YORK — Alex Cora and Garrett Crochet were in the visitors’ dugout at Yankee Stadium during the team workout on Monday and spotted members of the front office standing in the bullpen. Cora suggested he should call the bullpen phone, perhaps as a joke, when Crochet offered a one-liner to his manager.
“Tomorrow you are going to make one call to the bullpen,” Crochet said.
“Maybe two?” Cora replied.
“No,” said Crochet, insisting that he’d pitch deep enough into the game to allow Cora to go straight to Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman.
On Tuesday night, Crochet made good on that promise. The left-hander took complete control in the opening game of the American League Wild Card Series, stifling the New York Yankees in a 3-1 victory that has the Red Sox one win away from advancing to the next round.
“You could see it in his eyes before the game that he wanted it bad,” said Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, whose ninth-inning double plated a key insurance run after Masataka Yoshida’s pinch-hit, two-RBI single in the seventh gave Boston the lead.
If Crochet wasn’t already a household name in baseball, that should change now, as this was a star-making performance. The 26-year-old was one of baseball’s best pitchers during the regular season and he carried that seamlessly into the playoffs.
Crochet allowed a solo home run to Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe in the second inning, then found his rhythm and became more aggressive in the zone, retiring the next 17 batters he faced. He finally bent in the eighth when he allowed a one-out single to Volpe and then went 3-2 on Austin Wells.
However, the left-hander refused to break, firing a 100.2-m.p.h. fastball at the bottom of the zone for a called third strike. Amazingly, it was his 117th pitch of the night and last before Cora came to the mound to take the ball.
“We did a good job throughout the season for him to be fresh going into the playoffs and he proved it today,” said Cora, who credited the team’s medical staff for keeping Crochet strong as he tossed an AL-best 205.1 innings during the regular season, blowing well past his previous career high of 146 that he logged last year for the White Sox.
Crochet was asked if he ever wished he could be a pitcher from a bygone era, who was allowed to throw a 130-pitch complete game and his answer offered a window into the tenacity with which he approaches his job.
“I don’t know if it is sustainable with my velocity,” said Crochet. “I am not sure how hard they were throwing back then. I like to think I am prepared to do that even in today’s game.”
The left-hander allowed just four hits and no walks while striking out 11 over his 7.2 frames. It was his first post-season start after appearing out of the bullpen for the White Sox during the 2020 and ’21 playoffs.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially not having played a post-season game here,” said Crochet. “It was an electric atmosphere all night long. I feel like we rose to the occasion.”
Cora marvels at how Crochet’s voice has grown larger within the Red Sox clubhouse. When the team travelled to New York on Sunday night, the original plan was to wear comfortable clothing. Crochet felt the team should dress up and sent a group text expressing his thoughts and overruling his manager.
Cora smiled as he told the story and with the ability to hand Crochet the ball, there’s no reason not to be happy. His outing has put the Red Sox in a favourable position and if the club moves forward to the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays, Crochet will get an opportunity to extend his dominance and continue to carry Boston on his imposing six-foot-six, 245-lb. frame.
He outduelled fellow left-hander Max Fried, who tossed 6.1 scoreless innings before being removed for Luke Weaver, who allowed the decisive runs.
The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth off Chapman, yet failed to score and are now on the brink of elimination in this three-game series that underlines just how important it is for a club to win its division and earn a bye like the Blue Jays did.
“Look, we have been playing these types of games for a while now,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “We have been playing with a lot on the line seemingly every single day. Tonight was a great baseball game that we just couldn’t get that final punch in.
“So, we will be ready to go, and I expect us to come out and get one tomorrow.”
New York will send left-hander Carlos Rodon to the mound against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello.
“We have a tough one tomorrow again,” said Cora. “Rodon has been amazing throughout this season. They are obviously going to have their left-handed hitters in the lineup. We have Brayan, who likes it here, pitched well throughout his career. I expect the game to be just like this one.”
As far as anyone knows, though, Bello hasn’t made a prediction to his manager like Crochet did.
“Just being arrogant, to be honest,” said Crochet. “I didn’t actually expect that to be the case. When he sent me back out there [for the eighth], I was determined to leave it that way.”
