The Boston Red Sox had a huge offseason, highlighted by their blockbuster trade to acquire starting pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. After signing Crochet to a six-year, $170 million extension, the Red Sox have locked up an ace, so they’re looking to protect their substantial investment.
That’s why manager Alex Cora felt relieved when the White Sox broke up Crochet’s no-hit bid in the seventh inning on Sunday, April 13. Cora went as far as stating that he had “never been so happy” to see an opposing team get a hit.
Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Relieved That Garrett Crochet Lost No-Hitter
A recent article from MASS Live discusses why Cora was relieved to see Crochet lose his no-hitter. When talking about Crochet’s workload, the Red Sox manager said, “He kept saying he was feeling good but, still, you have to put everything in perspective. That’s the hard part of this job.”
To clarify Cora’s point, Garrett has dealt with injuries throughout his career and was already coming off 102-pitch and 107-pitch outings. Thus, he didn’t want to feel pressured to leave Crochet in the game to chase the no-hitter, which would have meant another 100+ pitch outing.
At the end of the day, the long-term goal is to win a World Series, so it’s not ideal to give your ace that kind of workload so early in the season.
Even though Crochet said he was “feeling pretty good” and could have kept going, it’s likely Cora would’ve pulled him if his pitch count hit 110 or more — even with the no-hitter still going. It would have likely been an unpopular move but the right call in order to avoid risking injury to one of the top pitchers in MLB.
Crochet for AL Cy Young
Crochet has established himself as a legitimate ace. The former White Sox lefty has picked up where he left off last season, posting a 1.38 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with eight walks and 28 strikeouts in 26 innings so far this year.
That kind of production puts him firmly in the AL Cy Young race. And on DraftKings, Crochet’s current odds to win the AL Cy Young is +210. Even though he’s the favorite in the AL, it’s still a fair price given his elite skill set.
The Red Sox may have found their new version of Chris Sale — a converted reliever who’s become a dominant starter. Look for Crochet to keep delivering strong ratios (ERA and WHIP) and high strikeout totals for years to come.