The Boston Red Sox will be looking for a deeper playoff run after losing to the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series last season. Any return to the postseason will also depend on Garrett Crochet being his dominant self.
Last season, Crochet posted a record of 18-5 with an ERA of 2.59 and 255 strikeouts in 32 appearances in 2025, per StatMuse. The Red Sox have their No. 1 guy in their starting rotation going for them every fifth day, and as long as he stays healthy, that’s one reason they have a shot at the playoffs.
During a Feb. 18 appearance on “The Jim Rome Show,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t hold back on what it’s like to count on Crochet every fifth day as the 2026 MLB season approaches.
“Every five days is Win Day,” Cora told host Jim Rome. “We try to win every day, but when he goes out there you feel pretty confident that he’s going to go deep into the game. He’s going to give us a chance to win. He’s going to reset the bullpen if we’re banged up.”
Red Sox Take Extra Measures to Keep Garrett Crochet Healthy
Moreover, Cora explains that while the Red Sox have that front-of-the-line guy, he knows they need to handle his innings to ensure that he can perform in September and October.
“I still remember his first outing in Texas,” Cora added. “We took him out after five or six innings, and he wasn’t happy. I told him at that point, I said, ‘Hey, to do cool things in October, we have to take care of you during the regular season.’ That’s the way we operate here. We’ve done it before. We will do it again.
“That game one against the Yankees — 118 pitches — he was amazing. The reason was because the medical staff did an amazing job with him. He understood what we were going to do with him to keep him fresh, and he delivered.“
Alex Cora Doesn’t Want Garrett Crochet to Lose Edge
Even though Crochet knows that pitching five or six innings early in the season is often enough, the Red Sox manager doesn’t want him to lose his edge when he goes out to take the ball.
“I want him to argue with me and be mad at me because I took him out,” Cora said. “But then he understands, and he’s a pro. He’s a leader. It took him two weeks last year. When we were here in Fort Myers, I walked down the aisle, and he’s there in the video room talking to his teammates about grips, about locations, all that. I was like, ‘You know what? We traded for the right guy.‘ Then he signed the contract, and now we go.”
Furthermore, Garret Crochet recently spoke with NESN and shared what he’s looking to improve on this season with Boston as the team looks to get off to a good start in what should be a competitive AL East.
“I feel like I do a lot of my best work at the end of my outings, which I think will be a big focus for me this year,” Crochet told the outlet on Feb. 13 . “It’s the first time and second time through the order. How can I really neutralize the lineups?
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