Red Sox's Garrett Crochet Gives Candid Assessment Of Opening Day Performance

The lefty expects even more from himself, clearly

Feb 23, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitching in the first inning of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images / Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

Garrett Crochet's Boston Red Sox debut wasn't quite the tour-de-force he might have hoped for, but all is well that ends well.

Crochet, the Red Sox's new ace and signature offseason trade acquisition, pitched five innings against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. He allowed two earned runs, five hits, two walks, and struck out four batters, picking up a no-decision in the 5-2 win.

Crochet's stuff looked predictably nasty, but it was clear he didn't quite have his command. The two walks were both long, drawn-out at-bats that skyrocketed his pitch count, which is why he had to be pulled after five innings, having thrown 88 pitches.

It's only the first start of the year, and it's not as though Crochet was bad by any means. But in the aftermath of the game, the 25-year-old lefty made it fairly obvious he expects more of himself, while still highlighting some of the positives.

“It was kind of a grinder day from the start,” Crochet said, per NESN's Greg Dudek. “I felt like I struggled with consistent execution. Maybe took a few too many shots in the first couple innings trying to get swing and miss and kind of dug myself in a hole with pitch count early.

"But later on in the game, I just started trusting the defense and trusting everybody other than myself and just trying to fill up the zone the best I could.”

The runs Crochet allowed came in the second and fourth innings, on a Kevin Pillar RBI single and Kyle Higashioka RBI double. He did throw 61 strikes out of his 88 pitches, and generated 15 whiffs, which is a somewhat low rate by his standards but will certainly get the job done on most days.

Crochet's next start is scheduled to come on the road against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Facing playoff-caliber lineups in back-to-back starts, both away from Fenway Park, should help him quickly settle into a season where he hopes to establish himself as a true Cy Young Award contender.

And although he didn't exactly look like a Cy Young favorite on Thursday, Crochet still showed plenty of reasons for Red Sox fans to be excited about the season he'll eventually have.

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