Boston’s Opening Day starter prioritizes efficiency and evolution after runner-up Cy Young season.
In the grand scheme, Garrett Crochet’s spring debut checked every box that actually matters.
- Two scoreless innings
- One hit
- One walk
- Twenty-three pitches
- Healthy arm walking off the mound.
And yet?
No strikeouts.
For most pitchers in late February, that’s meaningless.
For Crochet?
It was borderline existential.
“I don’t know the last time I had an outing without a strikeout,” Crochet said with a grin during his postgame scrum with the media. “It’s probably been four or five years. So I’m going to not probably sleep that well tonight.”
That’s where the conversation starts with Crochet. The bar is different now.
Coming off a season in which he finished runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award, the Red Sox ace isn’t simply trying to build arm strength.
He’s refining dominance.
Thursday’s 7-5 win over the Rays was less about results and more about calibration - fastball shape, pitch mix, rhythm.
The fastball averaged 96.1 mph, and topped at 97.4 - essentially right where it needs to be for this stage of camp. The first inning wobbled slightly (a leadoff single, a four-pitch walk that included a passed ball), but Crochet adjusted quickly and delivered a clean, efficient second.
Feb 26, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. (Jim Rassol/Imagn Images)“Just trying to treat it as game-like as I can,” said Crochet. “Collecting outs efficiently, however those come.”
That last part matters.
Crochet’s offseason emphasis wasn’t velocity. It was efficiency.
He debuted a new splitter Thursday, a pitch designed to give him better separation from the fastball, and another weapon against right-handed-heavy lineups. It’s not something he plans to lean on in hitter’s counts, but it represents the next layer in an already elite arsenal.
“It felt good out of my hand,” said the 26-year-old. “When I’m facing fairly right-handed heavy lineups, I think it’s a good weapon for me.”
The broader context is impossible to ignore.
Crochet acknowledged that reigning Cy Young winners Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes currently sit atop the sport’s pitching hierarchy. He believes he belongs in that conversation, but he’s not chasing headlines.
“I feel like after last year, I kind of put myself in that conversation,” said Crochet. “It’s not like I’m looking to dethrone those guys. I’m not too worried about that.”
Boston isn’t either.
Elsewhere on Thursday, there were smaller but notable developments.
Caleb Durbin made a strong case at second base with multiple instinct-driven defensive plays, including a smooth 6-4-3 double play and a slick glove-hand flip on a slow roller. Marcelo Mayer is due for time at the position as well, but Durbin looked comfortable.
Trevor Story provided the loudest offensive statement, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI as part of a seven-run fourth inning. Durbin chipped in a two-run double of his own.
Aroldis Chapman’s Red Sox debut was predictably electric (one scoreless inning, three strikeouts), with Greg Weissert also tossing a clean frame.
On the developmental side, Payton Tolle’s piggyback outing behind Crochet was uneven (two runs in 1.2 innings), and 19-year-old prospect Justin Gonzales showed off his raw power with a 110-mph lineout in limited action.
All told, it was a productive afternoon.
But if you ask Crochet, it will linger for a different reason.
Zero strikeouts.
In late February, that’s trivia.
In Crochet’s world, it’s motivation.
Feb 26, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. (Jim Rassol/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.