The post Red Sox’ Garrett Crochet opens up about getting the best of Aaron Judge appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Boston Red Sox, under the electric lights of Fenway Park, beheld Garrett Crochet steal the show Sunday night, guiding them to a momentous 6-4 victory over the New York Yankees in the finale of their three-game series. The victory moved Boston to 82-68 on the season, 1.5 games behind New York for the top American League Wild Card spot, while holding the tiebreaker against both the Yankees and the Houston Astros, who sit third in the wild-card race.

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Crochet, the 26-year-old left-hander acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the offseason and locked in with a $170 million, six-year deal starting next season, dominated from the outset. He struck out 12 over six innings, matching his season high, and allowed only two home runs to the Yankees despite facing the league’s reigning MVP, Aaron Judge. Against Judge, Crochet has prevailed in 12 of 15 encounters, tallying 11 strikeouts, though the slugger has still managed to connect for two towering home runs.

“He’s looking down the barrel of another MVP,” Crochet said, per Red Sox beat writer Christopher Smith for MassLive.  “I don’t think it’s been a secret since he entered the league that he’s one of the best players, if not the best. So it’s always an intense at-bat and one that I feel like I’ve risen to the challenge for. Just trying to keep him in the park is tough, but just doing the best I can. Anytime that you’re facing one of the best is very enjoyable. It means a little bit more, and I feel like getting him out just juices the dugout a little bit.”

The first inning set the tone. Facing Yankees starter Will Warren, who had a 5.43 ERA on the road before Sunday, the Red Sox pounced on five straight hits, including a leadoff triple from Jarren Duran (with an .010 xBA), followed by RBIs from Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Nathaniel Lowe, and Romy Gonzalez. Carlos Narváez capped the six-run inning with a 403-foot homer. Having begun under an ill-omened dawn, Warren settled in and stranded five runners over the next four innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits and a walk.

Crochet then took over. Judge went down swinging three times against Boston’s ace, striking out on fastballs and breaking pitches before finally connecting for a solo home run in the fifth inning, his 48th of the season, reducing the deficit to 6-3. Judge also singled in the eighth but finished 2-for-4 on the night. Other Yankees homers came from Amed Rosario in the fourth and Jose Caballero in the sixth, the latter off reliever Steven Matz.

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The offensive outburst in the first proved enough for Boston. After Crochet exited with six strikeouts and a high pitch count, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman preserved the win. Whitlock struck out the side in the eighth, and Chapman closed out the ninth with a 101.5-mph fastball past Caballero for the final out.

Crochet’s performance also placed him into rare company in Red Sox history. In 30 starts this season, he is 16-5 with a 2.63 ERA and has become just the third Red Sox pitcher, alongside Chris Sale and Pedro Martinez, to record 230+ strikeouts while allowing fewer than 60 runs in a 30-start span.

Manager Alex Cora noted that managing Crochet’s workload post-All-Star break was key to having him ready for games like this.

The Yankees now turn their journey westward, embarking on a three-game sojourn in Minnesota to face the Twins, commencing Monday night.

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