Red Sox Notes: Boston Pleased With Garrett Crochet’s Stellar Start Vs. Orioles

The Boston Red Sox got exactly what they paid for in Garrett Crochet during Wednesday night’s 3-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Less than 24 hours after announcing a finalized six-year, $170 million contract extension, Crochet delivered the strongest outing of his big league career. The left-hander pitched a career-high eight shutout innings to freeze Baltimore’s offense and destroy the Orioles’ chances of snagging a three-game sweep over Boston. Crochet’s sensational outing dug the Red Sox out of a four-game losing streak and earned him a collective round of applause from the locker room at Camden Yards.

“That’s the reason he’s here. That’s the reason we committed to him, and like I told him after the Texas (start), ‘I have to take care of you so you can take care of us,'” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters postgame, per NESN. “A little bit aggressive, for me, so early, but the pitch count was in check, the stuff was good and he’s the guy that we wanted out there.”

Boston caught its first true glimpse of what Crochet could deliver at the height of his potential. He took the mound in the middle of the team’s cold streak, demonstrated great competitive nature in wanting to mow down Baltimore hitters for as long as possible and reassured the organization of its investment. The Red Sox sacrificed four prospects and slid a six-year contract extension across the negotiating table early into Crochet’s stint with the team and so far it’s paid off tremendously.

“My first start in college, I went eight (innings) and I haven’t sniffed it since, so it’s funny,” Crochet told reporters, per NESN. “But yeah, I felt really good. … I like to think that I can fall into that category of a guy that can be a stopper.”

Crochet’s eight strikeouts against the Orioles rose the 25-year-old’s career strikeout total to 221. That’s the seventh most in MLB history by a lefty pitcher across his first 34 career starts since 1901, and allowed Crochet to surpass ex-Boston pitcher Chris Sale (220).

Crochet’s first start against American League East competition could be the start of the Red Sox’s first major run this season. He passes the torch to right-hander Tanner Houck, who takes the mound in the series finale. Boston can log its first consecutive victories of 2025 before flying home to host the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park.

Here are more notes from Wednesday night’s Red Sox-Orioles game:

— Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell, just after signing an eight-year, $60 million extension with the team, went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. The 22-year-old has now tallied the second-most extra base hits across his first six big league games in Red Sox history, second only to Will Middlebrooks in 2012 (7).

“I got to see him last year in Worcester a little bit, so I saw first-hand how hard he hits the ball, his plate discipline,” Trevor Story said, per NESN. “It’s just the kind of athlete he is so I’m not surprised to see him doing what he’s doing and I’m happy for the kid, man. He’s a good kid.”

— Aroldis Chapman recorded his first save in a Red Sox uniform, throwing 18 pitches in the ninth inning to secure Boston’s win. The 37-year-old became the first relief pitcher in MLB history to record a save for seven different teams throughout his career.

— Boston improved to 2-4 on the season and can make it out of Baltimore with its first series victory of the season with a win on Thursday.

— The Red Sox will wrap up their three-game series in Baltimore and conclude their season-opening road trip on Thursday afternoon. First pitch from Oriole Park at Camden Yards is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.