One day after signing extension, Garrett Crochet makes good on promise as Red Sox ace
"That's the reason he's here. That's the reason we committed to him."
When the Red Sox handed Garrett Crochet a six-year, $170 million extension earlier this week, Boston was banking on the lefty’s potential — rather his tangible results.
Even with the solid returns he submitted on a dreadful White Sox team in 2024 (6-12, 3.58 ERA, 209 strikeouts in 146 innings), Crochet’s sample size as a big-league pitcher is still slim — entering Wednesday’s outing against the Orioles with just 151 innings of work as a starter between Chicago and Boston.
But for all of the concerns over Crochet’s limited workload at this stage of his career, his filthy arsenal of pitches painted the picture of an elite ace — one that Boston was comfortable handing a long-term deal moving forward.
And on Wednesday against Baltimore, Crochet made good on that investment.
“That’s the reason he’s here,” manager Alex Cora said after Wednesday’s 3-0 win. “That’s the reason we committed to him.”
Despite Crochet’s limited reps at this stage of his career, the southpaw looked like a workhorse in his second career start with Boston — logging a career-best eight innings of work in the victory.
“My first start in college I went eight and I haven’t sniffed it since,” Crochet said. “So it’s funny. But yeah, it felt really good.”
The 25-year-old ace allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out eight — helping his team snap what was a four-game losing streak.
“ It’s huge,” Trevor Story said of Crochet’s outing, per MassLive’s Chris Smith. “Especially after our start to the season. We need a stopper in there and Crochet comes in there and does what he does. So just super pumped to have him over here on our side and not having to face him. He sets the tone in a lot of ways for us and our staff and we felt that as a team today.”
Even though Boston entered this season with Crochet under team control through the 2026 campaign, bridging the gap on a long-term deal stood as a welcome relief for all parties.
“Going back to when the trade went through, we knew Boston was a place where we would love to be long term,” Crochet said. “Credit to the front office for staying diligent, and my agency as well.”
With his long-term future in Boston (as well as a hefty pay raise) now secure, Crochet believes he can limit the distractions as he looks to anchor the Red Sox rotation for the long haul.
“I can’t think of the last time I played baseball for pride. In college, you’re playing to get drafted, and once you’re in the big leagues, you’re playing to stay in the big leagues,” Crochet said, per ESPN. “So to have this security and feel like I’m playing to truly just win ballgames, it takes a lot of the riff-raff out of it.”
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