BOSTON – The Red Sox hoped for some semblance of momentum as they wrapped up an already lost rivalry series against the Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball.
What they got was a surge of electricity from Garrett Crochet on the mound, and some much-needed, early bolts of lightning from the offense in a 6-4 win.
No sooner had Crochet mowed down the Yankees with a swift opening frame that included two strikeouts had Bostonâ€s first five batters — Jarren Duran, Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Nathaniel Lowe and Romy Gonzalez — produced hits to pace a six-run bottom of the first.
The hope is that the burst — which included a 12-strikeout performance from Crochet over six innings — will set the tone for the final two weeks of the regular season.
“He sets the tone for us,†said Story. “And like I’ve said, that’s what the big boys do. They go out there in the game that you really need to win, and he posted for us. Thatâ€s what heâ€s been doing all year.â€
Through 30 starts, Crochet is 16-5 with a 2.63 ERA.
With 12 games to go, the Red Sox are 1 1/2 games behind their rivals (Boston owns the tiebreaker) for the top American League Wild Card spot while leading the Astros (currently in the third spot) by a game. The Sox also own the tiebreaker against Houston.
“If you told me in Fort Myers, weâ€d be in a playoff spot with two weeks left, I would have taken it. I know people here would have taken it, too,†said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Weâ€re not perfect, like I always say. But itâ€s a good baseball team. Be ready for Tuesday.â€
Mondayâ€s off-day will now be more enjoyable for the Red Sox after a fruitful Sunday.
The six-run first wound up being a key to the game. Boston didnâ€t score again, as it turned out. And the Yankees got home runs from Amed Rosario, Aaron Judge and José Caballero to tighten it to a two-run game by the top of the seventh.
Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman, Bostonâ€s top 1-2 punch all season, got the final six outs to preserve the important win.
As Chapman reached back to end the game with a 101.5-mph heater that Caballero swung through, the announced Fenway crowd of 35,437 had the type of deep-throated roar you could hear again in October, if Boston can get there for the first time since 2021.
“The energy out there, it was amazing,†said Chapman. “The fans were going crazy. It was very good, and the crowd had very good energy with the game close. It felt good to pitch in that atmosphere.â€
Of late — or more specifically, since the Sept. 2 left oblique injury to Roman Anthony that has placed the remainder of the star rookieâ€s season in question — Boston had appeared flat, going 3-6 before Sundayâ€s rebound effort.
There have been several swings of momentum already in this season for the Red Sox, and now they need one final one in their direction for this final stretch run.
Underrated right fielder Wilyer Abreu, second behind Story on the team in home runs, should be back at some point this week.
Each start by Crochet will be crucial the rest of the way, and the lefty looks primed to lead the Red Sox to October should they get there.
He joined Chris Sale and Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in club history with 230+ strikeouts and fewer than 60 runs allowed in at least one 30-outing span.
At some point, Crochet might look at numbers like that and be honored by the company he’s in. But right now, heâ€s caught in the moment.
“Really trying hard to avoid the sweep today against a really good ball club,†Crochet said. “We’ve had some tough series of late. Obviously this one up until today was going in the wrong direction. So just trying to right the ship. The offense came out in a big way early and I was just trying my best to maintain that lead for as long as my outing lasted.â€
As the Red Sox and Yankees bid adieu after a season series in which Boston won nine of the 13 games, there was a sense the sides could meet again for a best-of-three Wild Card series that would start Sept. 30.
“That’s way too far ahead for us to even think or talk about,†said Story. “Obviously, there’s a lot of baseball to be played, and the standings are going to shake out how they do, but yeah, two good teams, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see [them] in the playoffs.â€
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