BOSTON — On a sunny and warm Saturday afternoon, Garrett Crochet took the mound to a chorus of cheers as “Rooster” by Alice In Chains played over the Fenway Park speakers.
Making his final start before the All-Star break, Boston’s lefty ace proceeded to put a stamp on his expectation-exceeding first half with a complete-game shutout in a 1-0 win over the Rays, the Red Sox’s ninth straight victory.
This was the first time in Crochet’s career he went the distance, so you’ll forgive him for not knowing where to go as The Standells’ “Dirty Water” started playing.
“I didn’t even know what to do when the third out was recorded. I was like, ‘Where do I stand?’” Crochet joked.
Crochet threw 100 pitches (72 strikes) and finished the day with nine punchouts to end his first half with a Major League-leading 160. He threw 129 1/3 innings across 20 first-half starts, just 16 2/3 shy of his 2024 total with the White Sox.
The only trouble Crochet ran into came in the sixth inning, when the Rays attempted a bunt with runners on the corners and one out. First baseman Abraham Toro barehanded the ball hit by Ha-Seong Kim, and Carlos Narváez made the tag at the plate to prevent the tying run from scoring. Crochet escaped unscathed by inducing a Jake Mangum groundout to end the inning.
“It’s incredibly satisfying,” Crochet said. “[Abraham] Toro made a great play. Trevor [Story] made a great play, and [Narváez] was good on the buttons all day, and just between-inning dialogue was really great. I felt really good. Nice to keep the streak going, too.”
Saturday was the latest showing of Crochet giving the Red Sox something they haven’t had in some time: a true ace. And with that comes not only an expectation to perform on the field, but a responsibility to act as a leader within the clubhouse. In his first year with Boston, Crochet has met and exceeded both on- and off-the-field expectations.
“Every five days, we know he’s going to be on the mound,” manager Alex Cora said, “but what he’s doing in the clubhouse, you see him in the dugout, he’s always into games talking to pitchers. … He’s very similar to Alex [Bregman], in that sense. Him and [Walker Buehler]; Walk has more experience, obviously, but he is very smart.”
When the camera pans to the dugout following a big moment from the offense, Crochet is always front and center celebrating his teammates. When he’s not up against the rail, Crochet is advising his fellow pitchers. The most recent benefactor? Greg Weissert. After pitching a scoreless sixth inning in Friday’s win over the Rays, Weissert was unhappy with his slider and sought the advice of Crochet, who talked pitch grips with the reliever in the dugout.
In a sense, Crochet has quickly become the pitching staff’s Bregman. Both Bregman and Crochet have embraced their leadership roles despite being two of the club’s newest players. Bregman brings a wealth of experience as a 10-year veteran. And though Crochet has been in the league since 2020, he’s still just 26 years old. But aside from being the ace, there’s another factor that Cora feels has contributed to Crochet stepping up as a leader.
The Red Sox got Crochet on Dec. 11 in a trade with the White Sox for four prospects. With Crochet set to become a free agent in 2026, it didn’t take long for talks of a potential extension to surface. But the chatter didn’t last long as the left-hander signed a six-year, $170 million extension just one start into his Boston tenure.
“With the contract, stuff comes with the territory,” Cora said. “You have to be that guy. And we haven’t had a guy like that in a while. We’ve had some good ones throughout the years. And now that he’s the ace of the Red Sox, he’s doing an amazing job.”
Crochet’s first-half performance was enough to secure him his second straight All-Star selection. Rather than following his scoreless inning in the 2024 Midsummer Classic, Crochet opted to sit out the festivities at the 2025 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. Bregman, a three-time All-Star, also decided not to participate as he eases back into playing post injury — though he will be at the Home Run Derby on Monday as a spectator with his son — leaving Aroldis Chapman as Boston’s lone active representative in Atlanta.
“Stuff like this,” Crochet said when asked what went into the decision to sit out the All-Star Game. “Just being able to use my workload in games that matter for the Red Sox. That’s really all that I’m focused on.”