To say that Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet has been “tough” this year is probably hitting the nail on the head. But that might well be an understatement when it comes to how he has handled the Yankees this season.
Crochet is 3-0 in four starts against New York this year, with a 3.29 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched. He walked only four Pinstripes in his starts, and has a WHIP of 0.878 against the Yankees, fourth-best among teams he faced more than once this season.
He did allow five homes, however, the most he gave up to any team this year.
Yankees star Aaron Judge has come away impressed. Judge is just 3-for-15 against Crochet in his career, with 11 strikeouts. But, notably, two of his hits have been homers.
“He can run up to 100 mph,” Judge told reporters in New York. “Gets all his pitches in the zone when he needs to. He’s a tough matchup. He’s a tough matchup, if not one of the best, the best pitcher in the game right now probably on his way to a Cy Young. It’s impressive what he has done so far this year. Looking forward to facing him.”
Garrett Crochet Starting Game 1
Crochet, obviously, will be the Red Sox’s starter in the Bronx on Tuesday for the opener of the AL wild-card round. The Yankees’ late push for the AL East crown came up just short, as the Blue Jays managed to finish in a 94-win tie with the Yankees, but held on because of the tiebreaker.
While Crochet has been one of the best two pitchers in the AL this year–Tarik Skubal is favored to win the Cy Young Award–the Yankees will counter with Max Fried in Game 1, and he is no slouch. Fried led the big leagues with 19 wins, going 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA. After some second-half struggles, Fried rallied for a terrific September, going 5-0 with a 1.89 ERA in the month.
There is a lot riding on Crochet, because the Yankees have the advantage in pitching depth if Boston can’t win Game 1.
“We’ve got a chance,” Alex Cora said. “I think offensively we’re doing a lot of good things. The bullpen is a lot better than the last few years. I think having that No.1 [starter] helps. We know we’re going on the road. We know it’s Garrett [Crochet] on Tuesday. So we have a pretty good chance.”
Red Sox Call on Bello in Game 2
Brayan Bello has been slated to go in Game 2, after a year in which he went 11-9 with a 3.35 ERA. He pitched poorly in September (1-3, 5.40 ERA) but was strong in three starts vs. the Yankees (2-1, 1.89 ERA), and ultimately, that won out for Cora.
In 11 career starts, Bello is 5-4 with a 2.35 ERA against the Yankees, and a WHIP of 1.138, which is the best of any team in his career he’s faced more than once.
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