Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet looks locked in and ready for Opening Day
Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet looks ready for Opening Day. Boston's big lefty was locked in once again Sunday afternoon as he mowed down the Minnesota Twins over four-plus innings of work in his penultimate start of the spring.
Fresh off being named Boston's Opening Day starter by manager Alex Cora on Saturday, Crochet went out and struck out seven Twins on Sunday. He threw 48 of his 72 pitches for strikes as he faced a lineup mostly made up of Minnesota's everyday starters, and allowed one run off two hits and a walk.
Crochet set the Twins down in order in both the first and second innings, logging a pair of strikeouts in each frame. He faced just three batters in the bottom of the third thanks to a 5-4-3 double play, and then struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth after the inning started with Crochet hitting Willi Castro.
The only run the Twins scored off Crochet came in the bottom of the fifth, after the lefty walked Ty Francis and then surrendered a single to Christian Vazquez. Crochet gave way to reliever Zach Kelly, who allowed France to score on an RBI double by Austin Martin.
Boston was victorious in the exhibition tilt, 6-5, on home runs by Cedanne Rafaella, Connor Wong, and Rob Refsnyder.
Garrett Crochet this spring
Crochet will start one more Grapefruit League game Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then he'll get the ball on Opening Day when the Red Sox open the season against the Rangers in Texas on March 27.
"I'm really excited about that," Crochet said of the Opening Day honor. "I hope to shoulder all the responsibilities that come with it with pride and just lead this team."
Boston's big offseason acquisition has been locked in for Boston all spring. Crochet has now tossed 10.1 innings and has allowed just one earned run off eight hits and six walks. He's faced 43 batters overall, and 21 of them have been sat down by way of the K.
"His stuff is big," Cora said of naming Crochet the team's Opening Day starter on Saturday. "There's a reason we got him here. We envision him as a true No. 1. To be determined, right? Kind of? But we truly believe with where we are as an organization and what he represents, it will be good for him to make the first pitch of the season."
Red Sox rotation
After Crochet on Opening Day, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler will start the second and third games of Boston's four-game series against the Rangers. Cora is still waiting to fill the next two spots in the Red Sox rotation, with Brayan Bello (shoulder inflamation), Lucas Giolito (hamstring strain), and Kutter Crawford (right knee soreness) set to begin the season on the IL.
