Crochet still sharp in limited role as breakout ’24 nears end
CHICAGO – The following story concerning Garrett Crochet has been told numerous times throughout the 2024 season, but it deserves another mention following Oakland’s 2-0 defeat of the White Sox and their ace hurler Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Venturing into his first season as a starter, Crochet did not officially know he was part of the Major League rotation until he was named the Opening Day hurler against Detroit. So, that part was somewhat of a surprise for the 25-year-old.
His success beginning with that first trip to the mound has been pretty much expected by the big left-hander.
“I suppose when I made those statements I felt like I belonged in the rotation. At the same time, I was unproven,” said Crochet after striking out four in four innings and slipping to 6-12 for the season. “There were definitely no guarantees along the way.
“As far as the success and the results that came to follow, that’s what you work all offseason for. Spent a lot of time visualizing that success happening before it did. So, no surprise.”
Crochet was arguably one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the game prior to the All-Star break, earning his first All-Star appearance. His second-half numbers have been a bit skewed, as Crochet continues to start, which is important from a consistency and preparation standpoint, but he’s on an innings limit and a pitch-count restriction.
Those four innings and 56 pitches hurled against the A’s in the series opener bring his season total to 138 innings, with Crochet having thrown 73 innings total over three previous years out of the bullpen. Most importantly, he’s healthy, and incorporated five pitches into his repertoire while topping out at 100.2 mph, according to Statcast.
This outing followed a start at Boston on Sept. 7 where Crochet yielded four runs in just two innings.
“Tonight I was in better counts than I was in Boston,” Crochet said. “I felt like I was a lot more in control. Even when I would get behind with the cutters that I was throwing in off the righties, I felt like those pitches were doing their purpose.”