It was October-like, high-stakes baseball theater from start to finish at Fenway Park on Saturday night as the Red Sox and Dodgers battled it out in front of an electric, sold-out crowd.
It was October-like, high-stakes baseball theater from start to finish at Fenway Park on Saturday night as the Red Sox and Dodgers battled it out in front of an electric, sold-out crowd.
Los Angeles struck first, but Boston got the last laugh, overcoming a lightning-quick two-run deficit to win 4-2.
Hours after manager Alex Cora admitted he was concerned by the club’s sharp decrease in starting pitching depth, Boston’s ace overcame a rough beginning to put together another overall gem and make Major League Baseball history.
On Saturday night, Garrett Crochet became the first left-handed pitcher ever to record a sub-2.25 ERA and at least 175 strikeouts in their first 22 games with a team. The only right-handers to put up such numbers were Roger Clemens when he joined the Toronto Blue Jays in ‘97, and Justin Verlander after being traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Houston Astros in ‘17.
While the marquee billing for the evening contest was Crochet versus Dodgers icon and fellow southpaw Clayton Kershaw, it wasn’t exactly a pitchers’ duel.
Kershaw couldn’t finish the fifth inning. He yielded four earned runs on six hits, walked two and struck out two before Dodgers manager (and 2004 Red Sox legend) Dave Roberts walked out to the mound.
