Red Sox overcome Crochet's struggles to defeat Guardians, 11-7
Published in Baseball
BOSTON — The Cleveland Guardians may have had their fun tattooing Garrett Crochet for six runs in the sixth inning, but the Red Sox got the last laugh Tuesday night, battling back from multiple deficits to win, 11-7, and take the series.
Crochet had maxed out at two home runs allowed twice this season before Tuesday night, when the Cleveland Guardians took him deep four times.
Jhonkensy Noel’s one-out home run in the second was the only visiting damage until the top of the sixth.
Then, implosion. The entire Cleveland lineup came to bat in a six-run sixth inning that was wholly unlike Crochet. Austin Hedges led off with a solo shot, but the bulk of the carnage came with two outs; a two-run homer by David Fry (after Angel Martínez’s one-out single), then back-to-back singles by Kyle Manzardo and Noel. Brayan Rocchio’s three-run Green Monster homer was the coup de grace. 7-3 Guardians.
Crochet entered the game with a 2.40 ERA, the fourth-best mark in MLB this year, and the second-lowest of any pitcher with at least 100 innings pitched through their first 27 games with the Red Sox since the Live Ball Era began in 1920 (behind Dave Ferriss’ 2.31 ERA in 1945). Tuesday’s outing bumped Crochet’s ERA up to 2.67. His nine hits and his seven runs allowed tied his career highs for a single game.
But never fear. The Boston bats were here all night long. Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela tied the game immediately with a one-out double and two-run Monster homer, respectively.
Welcome to the hit parade
Guardians starter Slade Cecconi issued zero walks and struck out eight in his 5 1/3 innings, but the Red Sox tallied 11 hits and charged him with seven runs, all earned, to match Crochet.
This included a second inning in which the Boston bats tallied six consecutive hits, tying their season-high, and took a 4-1 lead. Nathaniel Lowe began the barrage with a one-out double.
In the fifth, Lowe became the latest example of one of MLB’s most endearing phenomena. Days after he and his wife welcomed their first child, he blasted a no-doubter, 421 feet to right-center.
The game remained knotted at seven until the bottom of the eighth, when Boston finally broke through for the last time. Once again it began with Yoshida, who led off with a single. The damage came with two outs: four consecutive hits, first a pair of singles, then a pair of doubles, by Nate Eaton, Alex Bregman, Jarren Duran and Story, respectively.
American League hi(STORY)
In August, Trevor Story broke Julio Lugo’s Red Sox record when he stole his 21st consecutive base without being caught.
Diving safely into second base in the seventh on Tuesday, Story added making American League history to his incredible comeback campaign. He’s the first AL player and second in MLB history overall to have as many as 25 steals without getting caught in a single season.
Defensively, the veteran shortstop was everywhere, rising to each occasion. When Manzardo lined one high, but in his direction, Story leapt up and made the grab to complete a 1-2-3 fourth.
Story caught the first out of the game, and the last.
Early exit
After striking out swinging in the fourth inning, Roman Anthony grimaced and walked back to the dugout with his hand on the left side of his lower back.
When the Red Sox took the field for the top of the fifth, Nate Eaton headed out to right field in the rookie’s place.
In the top of the seventh, the Red Sox announced that Anthony had exited with “left oblique tightness.”
Facts and figures
The Red Sox are 78-62.
They saw their sellout streak end at 20 games on Tuesday night, when the paid attendance was 34,902.
You wouldn’t know it if you heard the Fenway Faithful, though.
©2025 The Boston Herald. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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