The stage was set for another classic Yankees-Red Sox showdown, and our eyes were on Garrett Crochet as he took the mound for Boston in the second game of the series. While the lefty flamethrower wasn’t at his absolute best, his outing was still solid enough to keep the Yankees within reach. But as the game wore on, it became clear that the Red Sox had bigger problems brewing. Yes, their defense.Well, the defense behind Crochet crumbled under pressure, turning routine plays into costly mistakes. After the game, manager Alex Cora didn’t sugarcoat anything. He offered a brutally honest assessment of his team’s defensive woes, making it clear that changes might be necessary if Boston wants to stay competitive.“He gave us what we needed,” Cora said about Crochet. “Forget the line. There were some plays defensively that we didn’t make that put him in a bad spot. We needed six, regardless. I mean, we’ll take it.”First of all, it was a moderate outing on the field for Crochet. He entered the night as one of the most dominant arms in baseball, boasting an ERA just over 1. But the Yankees had plans. In a rare early stumble, the Boston ace gave up five runs in the first four innings, the most any team has scored off him this season.Well, the concern lies elsewhere. The concerns are with the costly defensive lapses that helped the Yankees put up their strongest offensive outing against the Boston ace all season.It started in the second inning when the game was tied 0-0. Crochet gave up a hard grounder to the right side that should have been second baseman Enmanuel Valdez’s play. But with rookie first baseman Romy Gonzalez coming into the scene to make a play. The result? First base was left uncovered. Crochet couldn’t get there in time, and Cody Bellinger reached on an infield single. So, that’s a blow that could’ve been avoided.The story doesn’t end here. Just when the Red Sox were leading 8-3, more defensive misplays gave New York another window. It was again misreading a routine groundball. The ball rolled into right field, and the Yankees made the most of the mistake. Eventually, Wells tagged Crochet again, this time with a run-scoring double. All these comedy of errors led to slicing the Red Sox’s lead to 8-5.But despite the damage, Crochet fought back. He struck out nine, including three against Aaron Judge, and kept his composure even as his defense let him down. His ERA spiked from just over 1 to 2.35, a reflection of the rocky night, but guess what, he showed grit on the mound.Garret Crochet is firing up the moundWell, if you think Garrett Crochet is throwing fireballs only now with the Red Sox, then you probably missed what he did last year with the White Sox. Yes, 2024 was a historically bad season for the White Sox. You know the last season was marked by a record-breaking number of losses. But that didn’t stop Crochet from standing out. He was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year!Notably, Crochet posted a 3.58 ERA across 32 starts, striking out 209 batters. You would agree that’s an impressive feat on a struggling team. So, this year, he’s simply picked up where he left off, now doing it in a Red and white uniform. Moreover, he never had a real shot at a championship ring in Chicago. But things are different in Boston, where the postseason prospects are much more realistic.And Garrett Crochet’s dominance is only growing. Yes, with racking up 32 strikeouts over his past three starts, the 25-year-old Crochet is now the youngest Boston pitcher to record 30-plus strikeouts over a three-outing span. The record was with Jon Lester when he did it back in 2009.His 3 strikeouts against Aaron Judge also proved how the game’s elite can be deceived by his curveballs. But while he is allowed to leak some runs in the process, the Red Sox will be at a loss if their defensive misplays continue.The post Alex Cora Throws Red Sox Defense to the Wolves for Jeopardizing Garrett Crochet After Costly Escape Against Yankees appeared first on EssentiallySports.