On Wednesday night, the Boston Red Sox claimed an all-important 7-1 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays thanks to an elite start from ace Garrett Crochet, who's proven to be worth every asset Boston had to give up to the Chicago White Sox this past offseason. Unlike yesterday, this win for the Red Sox did not come with much drama, what with Crochet dominating the Blue Jays with eight innings of three-hit, six-strikeout, shutout ball.
This win moves the Red Sox to 87-71 on the year, putting them one step closer to clinching a playoff spot. Their magic number currently sits at three with four games to go, but with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros having a mid-off in the bottom of the AL Wild Card race, the Red Sox's playoff position appears to be safe — freeing up manager Alex Cora to make some future October plans regarding Crochet's status.
“He did his job and now the rest of us have to finish it. Hopefully he can pitch Game 1, whenever it is,” Cora said, per Christopher Smith of Mass Live.
If the season ended today, the Red Sox will be going to Yankee Stadium to face their archrival New York Yankees for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series. The Blue Jays still own the tiebreaker over the Yankees, so even with both teams tied for the AL East lead, it will be the Blue Jays that will receive a bye to the ALDS.
At the moment, it looks like a matchup against the Blue Jays will be more preferable for the Red Sox considering how they've won the past two games against them. Crochet did have his way against Toronto, so if Boston indeed starts their prized lefty in a potential Game 1 against the Blue Jays, they might be favored.
Red Sox are in driver's seat for AL Wild Card spot
The Red Sox certainly control their own destiny in the AL Wild Card race. They are passing test after test against the Blue Jays, but for the finishing touches, they're going to be facing the Tigers in a three-game set that could see Detroit's historic collapse be sealed in history.
The Tigers have lost eight consecutive games and are essentially two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the AL Central lead. Meanwhile, the Astros, at the time of writing, are down 6-0 to the Athletics. The Red Sox are playing good baseball, but their competition for a Wild Card spot haven't exactly been close to their best.
