The Boston Red Sox kicked off their season with a bang, showcasing their offseason focus on pitching and defense in a 3-0 shutout against the Cincinnati Reds. Garrett Crochet shone in his season debut, delivering six scoreless innings and earning the win.
The Reds tried to counter Crochet with a predominantly right-handed lineup, swinging aggressively from the get-go. But Crochet kept them at bay by skillfully mixing his trio of fastballs, consistently finding the strike zone and inducing weak contact.
The standout in Crochet's arsenal was his cutter. He leaned on it heavily, using it 31% of the time against righties, and consistently hitting the glove side edge.
Out of 23 pitches, 18 were strikes, including four swinging strikes. Though the Reds managed two hits off the cutter, they were merely jam-shot singles in the sixth inning.
With the bases loaded in the sixth, Crochet faced a full count against Spencer Steer. Relying on his trusted cutter, he notched a crucial strikeout to end his outing on a high note.
Crochet's splitter, a topic of much discussion during spring training, was sparingly used, appearing just twice. One resulted in a called strike, hinting at its potential to keep righties guessing if he can consistently locate it.
Crochet's performance was steady and familiar, with his pitch velocity and movement mirroring last year's form. After throwing 80 pitches, Red Sox manager Alex Cora opted to tap into a fresh bullpen, highlighting the team's depth and his confidence in their arms.
"I believe we have a good offense, we're gonna score more, but we will pitch. I think our bullpen is in a good spot, we got some quality arms, and obviously our rotation is deeper," Cora stated, emphasizing the team's robust pitching staff.
Relievers Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman sealed the deal, maintaining the shutout. With Sonny Gray set to take the mound for game two, the Red Sox are looking to build on this strong start.