A late first-half surge has put the Boston Red Sox back in the playoff mix. They looked left for dead on the side of the road after stunningly trading franchise centerpiece Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. But the initial shock has subsided, and the team is finding its footing to a point where ace Garrett Crochet is fully bought in.
If Crochet's commitment to the Red Sox wasn't already apparent, perhaps his choice to bypass the 2025 All-Star Game will give you an idea. He wanted to be part of the festivities in Atlanta, but everyone can have their cake and eat it, too. With that in mind, the left-hander made a business decision with Boston's postseason hopes in mind.
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Garrett Crochet pulls out of 2025 MLB All-Star Game with postseason hopes in mind
Partaking in baseball's glorified exhibition and staying fresh for the stretch run sounds nice. Nonetheless, Crochet understands his body and wants to preserve it. The reliever-turned-starter set a new career-high for innings pitched last year — by far — and is already nearing that mark in 2025. Instead, he's using this time wisely to rest rather than adding unnecessary wear and tear.
"For me, it’s just looking at my past four years," Crochet said (h/t Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com). "In 2022, I threw zero innings. In '23, I threw 13. Last year, I threw 146 and this year I’m on pace for 200. From my standpoint, it makes no sense to make that 201 to throw in a game that doesn’t determine my team’s fate throughout the season."
Crochet deserves credit for being self-aware of his rapidly increasing annual workload. Not everyone would, especially when being recognized as one of the premier contributors in your field and earning the chance to showcase why. Yet, at the same time, everyone already knows he's one of the best pitchers in the business.
No one's perception of Crochet is alterting an All-Star outing. He could've came in and tossed an immaculate inning or gave up 10 runs to the National League lineup. Either way, his status as a Cy Young candidate doesn't change.
Sitting at 9-4 with a stellar 2.39 ERA and 1.089 WHIP across 120.1 innings of work, Crochet has been magnificent this season. He paces the Majors in strikeouts (151) and is tied with the San Francisco Giants' Logan Webb for first in innings pitched. The Detroit Tigers' Casey Mize will replace him in the All-Star Game.
The Red Sox currently hold the third and final AL Wild Card spot. A recent hot streak in which they've won 10 of their past 12 games, including eight straight, has ostensibly rejuvenated the clubhouse. Baseball Reference gives them a 56.1 percent chance of making it to October entering play on July 11.