There will not be a sweep at the hands of the Evil Empire. Garrett Crochet got down and dirty, striking out 12 Yankees en route to an extremely necessary victory. A six run first inning hopefully sets the tone for the rest of the season: score early and hold onto the lead. Less drama.
It keeps the Sox in the second Wild Card spot, which is as neutral as you can get for the weekend. With the [insert NorCal city here] Athletics rolling into town, this is another critical series to not worry about anybody else and rack up some wins.
Still, at least come confidence after tonight’s victory.
Garrett Crochet (6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 12 Ks, 1 HR allowed)
I saw somewhere on X that they didn’t believe Crochet earned his ace card with this start. Yeah, the homers are a bit of an issue in the second half of the season, but he continues to be aggressive and dominant on the mount. The run support certainly helped but I think he earned the ace card for me.
Romy Gonzalez (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI)
Not just driving in an RBI in the first inning, but a stellar defensive play to end Crochet’s night with a tough throw across his body on a ground ball. A 14-game hit streak is damn impressive, though.
Garrett Whitlock (1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 Ks)
Striking out the heart of the Yankees lineup after giving up a lead-off single to Aaron Judge is one hell of a ballsy inning, Garrett.
Ceddanne Rafaela (0-for-4)
Is he regressing back to JBJ form?
The entire offense after the first inning
This team post-Roman is absolutely boom or bust in the box. A six-run first was great, but not building upon it is criminal considering the way they tagged Will Warren.
Wilyer Abreu can’t come back soon enough. The injuries to this team leave a lot to be desired in the lineup in general and makes for a lack of versatility. Our lineup gets predictable, quickly.
It really goes to Crochet for holding the Yankees on the ropes for as long as he did:
