When the Boston Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet, they envisioned him pitching in games like Sunday night’s.

The Red Sox were sliding, having lost two in a row to the New York Yankees. Their competitors for the American League Wild Card all won on Saturday, making up ground in the playoff hunt. A three-game sweep versus your most bitter rivals would have put the Fenway Park crowd on edge.

That’s what aces are for, though. The Yankees had grabbed a lead in the first inning in the first two games of the series. Crochet took the mound in the first and made sure that didn’t happen, recording two strikeouts and three outs on just 11 pitches.

Crochet brought something extra to the mound on Sunday night. His four-seam fastball averaged 97.8 mph, his highest mark of the season and 1.5 mph a

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