Part 7/11:
Though he was a rookie dealing with immense pressure—starting Game 3 of the AL wild card series against the Yankees—Early held his own, even if the team ultimately lost that game. His emergence hints at a robust pitching pipeline.
Veteran and Young Arms: Crochet and Beyond
The Red Sox also made waves with Garrick Crochet, acquired from the White Sox last December. Critics questioned whether he could handle a full workload, but Crochet proved skeptics wrong, finishing his first Boston season with an 18-5 record, a 2.59 ERA, and leading the AL with 205 innings pitched and 255 strikeouts. He narrowly missed the Cy Young Award, finishing second.