{"id":48053,"date":"2025-04-14T00:20:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T00:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=48053"},"modified":"2025-04-14T00:20:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T00:20:54","slug":"why-red-sox-alex-cora-has-never-been-so-happy-as-when-garrett-crochets-no-hit-bid-ended","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=48053","title":{"rendered":"Why Red Sox\u2019 Alex Cora has \u2018never been so happy\u2019 as when Garrett Crochet\u2019s no-hit bid ended"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CHICAGO \u2014 The 18,840 fans on hand at Rate Field were all on the edge of their seats as Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet chased history and carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning Sunday. It\u2019s hard to envision any of them were more nervous than the man tasked with making the decision on when Crochet\u2019s day would end.<\/p>\n

Alex Cora, who in 989 games as Boston\u2019s manager, has never seen a no-hitter. Crochet, who got through 7 \u2153 innings with any damage Sunday, came closer than any other starting pitcher during Cora\u2019s tenure. As Red Sox Nation watched Crochet pursue the club\u2019s first no-no since Jon Lester in 2008, Cora knew one way the day\u2019s story could end would involve him being the villain.<\/p>\n

So when Chase Meidroth \u2014 coincidentally one of four players the Red Sox traded to the White Sox for Crochet in December \u2014 singled on Crochet\u2019s 96th pitch of the day, Cora breathed a massive sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I\u2019ve never been so happy for the opponent to get a hit,\u201d Cora said.<\/p>\n

Cora seemed to be on the mound to take the ball from Crochet before Jarren Duran had even thrown the ball back in after retrieving Meidroth\u2019s single. It was time for Garrett Whitlock to try to preserve a 2-0 lead and help the Red Sox escape the South Side with at least one win. Cora had promised Crochet that he\u2019d let him keep going until a ball fell in. But that promise was getting close to being broken as Crochet\u2019s pitch count climbed into the mid-nineties.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to make decisions. It\u2019s not easy, man,\u201d said Cora. \u201cYou\u2019re in that dugout and you\u2019ve got a chance to do something special. But at the same time, you have to balance our season. Without him, it\u2019s going to be hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe kept saying he was feeling good but, still, you have to put everything in perspective. That\u2019s the hard part of this job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crochet has thrown 102 and 107 pitches in his last two starts, respectfully, but it would have been hard to imagine Cora letting Boston\u2019s new ace climbing into the 120 range in his fourth start of an 162-game season. If Meidroth had not singled, Crochet would have likely entered the ninth in triple digits. And though he said he felt good enough to go \u201cfive more innings,\u201d he understood a tough conversation with Cora might have been coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy workload has been pretty high the last couple outings but I felt good today, so I was ready to keep going,\u201d Crochet said.<\/p>\n

Meidroth\u2019s well-placed single past the dive of Trevor Story made the decision easy for Cora and once the Red Sox held on to win, 3-1, the team was ready to celebrate a stellar pitching performance with no controversy attached to the proceedings. Crochet lowered his ERA to 1.38 on a day he struck out 11, walked one batter and allowed just one particularly meaningful hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was feeling pretty good,\u201d he said. \u201cSadly, I was very aware of the no-hitter since the first inning, or the first batter. That\u2019s just who I am, I suppose. A blessing and a curse.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompeting in the zone, I feel like I was doing a good job of that today. Finally stopped thinking about strikeouts and got a couple, so that was nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crochet\u2019s phenomenal performance came under unique circumstances. Sunday represented the first time he faced his former team and his first time pitching at Rate Field as a visiting player. Throughout the weekend, the lefty repeatedly said that he wasn\u2019t making too much of the start and that while he was appreciative for his five seasons with the White Sox, it was not hard to move on. He wasn\u2019t overly amped up when the lights came on Sunday afternoon but still put on a show for a crowd that gave him an ovation as he departed in the eighth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s a little something extra there. But he\u2019s always got that in him,\u201d Story said. \u201cHe\u2019s always revving on 100. I didn\u2019t really see a difference. He\u2019s always that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crochet\u2019s day will be remembered for his flirtation with baseball immortality. It was Boston\u2019s deepest no-hit bid since 2016. But in the big picture, it was meaningful as a standout performance for a team that had lost five of six, including two to a ChiSox team<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why he is who he is,\u201d Story said. \u201cAnd we needed it in the worst way. He stepped up and delivered for us. We needed a stopper and that\u2019s what he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

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