The Boston Red Sox needed a hero to avoid being swept by the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, opening the door for Garrett Crochet to save the day. The reigning AL Comeback Player of the Year dazzled in the first meeting against his former team, striking out 11 batters with only one earned run allowed in the Red Sox's 3-1 victory at Rate Field.
Although beating his old club likely feels good, Crochet would have even more to celebrate had he not lost a no-hitter in the eighth inning. While most Red Sox fans were, understandably, disappointed about the failed no-no effort, manager Alex Cora had a surprise reaction to Crochet's latest performance.
Red Sox News: Garrett Crochet's Pitch Count Had Alex Cora Feeling Relieved by Lost No-Hitter
Following the Red Sox's latest win, Cora told reporters he was worried about Crochet's climbing pitch count despite the ongoing no-hitter. Boston's manager didn't want to be "the villain" by removing the veteran southpaw to avoid injury, which is why he was relieved that White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth recorded his club's first hit on Crochet's 96th pitch.
"You've got to make decisions. It's not easy, man," Cora told MassLive's Chris Cotillo. "You're in that dugout and you've got a chance to do something special. But at the same time, you have to balance our season. Without (Crochet), it's going to be hard."
"Honestly, I’ve never been so happy for the opponent to get a hit."
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) April 13, 2025
Garrett Crochet losing his no-hitter provided much-needed relief for Alex Cora, who was facing the prospect of an impossible decision.https://t.co/NEzsL1iEZp
Even though Crochet said he felt "pretty good" on the mound, Cora wanted to prevent his ace from being his worst enemy. It's the type of difficult decision all MLB managers must face at some point.
"He kept saying he was feeling good but, still, you have to put everything in perspective," Cora added. "That's the hard part of this job."
As good as Crochet looked on Sunday afternoon, removing him from the contest was a smart precautionary decision — no-hitter or not. The Ocean Springs, MS native had thrown at least 102 pitches in each of his two previous appearances and is now averaging 98.3 pitchers per start this season.
Fortunately, the high-pitch total games haven't hurt Crochet's performances. The former All-Star hurler has exceeded the hype since being acquired from the White Sox in December, going 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA, 0.885 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts across an American League-leading 26 innings of work.
The electric start has Crochet opening the week as FanDuel Sportsbook's +220 favorite to win the 2025 AL Cy Young award. Performances similar to Sunday's will only strengthen the 25-year-old LHP's outlook, and his not showing signs of slowing down means Cora & Co. could have more tough decisions to make on the horizon.
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