Red Sox manager Alex Cora's message that fired up Garrett Crochet vs. Braves

In the rubber match of the series between the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves on Sunday, Garrett Crochet put up a clinic, allowing just one earned run in seven innings of work in a 3-1 win for the Red Sox that improves them to 29-32 on the year. Crochet has proven to be worth his weight in gold even though the Red Sox have a below .500 record, especially with the way he carved up the Braves lineup to the tune of 12 strikeouts against just two walks.

Thus far this year, Crochet has an ERA of 1.98 in 82 innings of work (across 13 starts). The major surrounding Crochet after the Red Sox parted with a hefty prospect package for him was whether or not he was ready to assume the workload that came with being the fulltime ace of a staff as thin as the Red Sox’s. He has certainly answered the call for Boston, and manager Alex Cora’s trust in him has grown stronger with each passing start — firing up Crochet in the process.

“[Cora] told me, ‘Let’s keep going.’ I was fired up. I was just hoping it wasn’t for [Michael] Harris only. If you’re going to send me back out, let me go to work, and he did,” Crochet said, per Chris Cotillo of Mass Live.

Indeed, Crochet was fired up beyond belief heading into the seventh inning on Sunday — his final inning of the night. He ended up striking the side out on just 13 pitches, and it paved the way for the Red Sox’s late-inning relievers, Greg Weissert and Aroldis Chapman, to seal the deal and the series victory over the Braves.

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Garrett Crochet has been as good as advertised for the Red Sox

Red Sox manager Alex Cora's message that fired up Garrett Crochet vs. Braves — Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Crochet is one of the best starting pitchers in the major leagues, and he proved that he’s not just someone who thrives when given a small workload. He only finished seven innings of work thrice last year with the Chicago White Sox; in 2025, he’s already done so six times for the Red Sox, even recording an eight-inning game back in early April in a shutout victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Whenever the Red Sox become a contending team, there always seems to be a lefty fronting their starting rotation. Crochet definitely has been doing his job, it’s now up to the rest of the team to provide him the support he needs. They will look to continue their winning ways when they host the Los Angeles Angels later at 7:10 PM E.T.