The Boston Red Sox shocked the city of New York on Tuesday night when they stormed back from down 1-0 to win the game to take a 1-game lead in the Wild Card series. Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet was untouchable after the second inning and dominated the Yankees all night long.
Crochet allowed a home run to Anthony Volpe in the second inning for the only Yankees run of the night. The Sox trailed 1-0 until the 7th inning when Masataka Yoshida hit a pinch-hit two-run single to take a 2-1 lead. Alex Bregman would add on in the 9th, and the Red Sox won 3-1. The story of the night was about Crochet's gem. He pitched 7.1 innings with 11 strikeouts on 117 pitches. He allowed just four hits and used his dominant fastball to get the job done.
His fastball velocity was unreal all night. In the 8th inning, Crochet made history. Nobody in baseball can dig up stats better than Sarah Langs.
“Garrett Crochet’s 100.2 mph strikeout in the 8th last night: The fastest strikeout by a starter in the 8th inning or later of a postseason game under pitch tracking (2008). The 7th-fastest pitch by a starter in the 8th or later of a postseason game in span, behind 6 from 2011 JV.”
MLB is seeing high velocity more and more know, it's just very rare for a starting pitcher. There are a ton of relievers who can touch 100 easily, but for someone to do it after throwing 100 pitches is remarkable. It is a risk to let Crochet pitch as hard as he did that late in the game, but the old school hurlers used to do it all the time. Big league managers just tend not to risk injury… and their jobs by keeping them in there. However, the postseason is different. Sox manager Alex Cora believed in Crochet, and he got the job done against a very good Yankees lineup.
