GARRETT CROCHET OUTDUELS MAX FRIED IN GAME 1 SHOWDOWN
It was the kind of night that made every Red Sox and Yankees fan forget to breathe. Under the crushing pressure of a do-or-die Wild Card showdown—Game 1 of the 2025 AL Wild Card Series—Boston’s newly acquired ace, Garrett Crochet, turned the mound into his personal stage at Yankee Stadium.
In a marquee duel against the Yankees’ $218 million ace, Max Fried, Crochet didn’t just outduel his greatest rival—he redefined what it means to deliver when everything is on the line, delivering a heart-stopping masterclass that stunned the Bronx.
THE GAME 1 MASTERPIECE
The tension was palpable as the two southpaws took the mound. Fried, the veteran star, pitched well, holding the Red Sox scoreless into the seventh inning. But Crochet was magnificent, showcasing the dominance that had made him the AL Cy Young runner-up in his first season as a starter.
- Crochet’s Line: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO. He threw a career-high 117 pitches, retired 17 consecutive batters at one point, and touched 100.2 mph on his final pitch.
- The Duel’s Rival: Crochet’s lone mistake was a second-inning solo home run to Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, whose bat provided the Yankees’ only run of the game.
- The Showdown: Despite the pressure, the Red Sox offense scratched across runs late, taking a 2-1 lead in the seventh, setting up a terrifying bottom of the eighth. With the count full on Austin Wells and the potential tying run at the plate, Crochet fearlessly fired a 100.2 mph fastball for a called third strike, ending his night and leaving the sold-out crowd in stunned silence.
The performance cemented the Red Sox’s 3-1 victory in Game 1 and immediately validated the high price Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow paid one year prior to acquire the young left-hander.
REDEFINING THE MOMENT
For years, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has been defined by the big bats of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. But this duel shifted the narrative. It became a pure pitching showdown—youth vs. prime veteran—a battle of wills that demonstrated Boston’s newfound confidence in October.
The final, nerve-wracking moment in the bottom of the ninth saw Boston closer Aroldis Chapman survive a bases-loaded, no-out jam against his former team, striking out Stanton, flying out Jazz Chisholm Jr., and striking out Trent Grisham to end the game. However, the victory belonged to Crochet, whose relentless pressure and dominant command set the tone.
