Expectations were high for Garrett Crochet entering his anticipated Opening Day start (and team debut) with the Red Sox on Thursday.
The 25-year-old lefty already arrived in Fort Myers this winter as the team’s ace after making life miserable for opposing batters last season with the White Sox (3.58 ERA, 209 strikeouts in 146 innings).
But Crochet’s stock continued to soar during Grapefruit League play — with the southpaw posting a 0.57 ERA across 15.2 innings of work in spring training while leading all big-league pitchers with 30 strikeouts over that stretch.
That sterling play on the mound did not exactly carry over into Thursday afternoon against the Rangers.