Alex Cora had a plan for Wednesday night against the New York Mets. He already knew that his ace, Garrett Crochet, would have a short outing—long before he even took the mound.
Crochet pitched well, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out five over 85 pitches. Despite needing a long outing from his No. 1 starter—especially with the bullpen having logged 38 innings over the previous nine games—Cora didn’t want to push him too far.
«Today was one of those days we had circled as a day we’d be short,» said manager Alex Cora after the Red Sox’s 5–1 loss to the New York Mets in the series finale. «It lined up with a day we knew we’d be short. It’s not tough—it’s for the benefit of the player.»
he 2024 season was Garrett Crochet’s first as a starter with the Chicago White Sox, during which he threw 146 innings. Heading into Wednesday’s game, he was leading the American League in innings pitched. He now has 68.1 innings and says he’s ready for more.
«I wasn’t made aware of it before the game,» said Crochet. «That’s the last thing I want on my mind. I have a lot of respect and love for the front office and the coaching staff here. So if that’s their call, I’m going to respect that.»
Crochet has already made 11 starts during the 2025 season, and he has thrown over 100 pitches in half of them.
«I’d like to think that I’m built up for that workload,» Crochet said after the game. «Obviously, the focus is on being healthy in October.»
READ MORE: The Mets dominated Alex Bregman like no one has before: «They did a good job with the Four-Seamer»
Garrett Crochet’s Wednesday performance wasn’t his quickest, as he pitched 5.1 innings. However, it was his outing with the fewest pitches thrown. He had two previous starts of exactly 5 innings—one with 89 pitches and the other with 110.
