TORONTO – The path to the postseason increased for the Red Sox the instant chief baseball officer Craig Breslow traded four prospects to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet at last December’s Winter Meetings in Dallas.
So perhaps it was only fitting that in Crochet’s final start of the regular season on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre, the ace lefty put the Red Sox on the verge of punching their ticket to October for the first time in four years.
Any combination of wins by the Red Sox and losses by the Astros equaling two will do the trick for manager Alex Cora’s club.
By the time Crochet’s 18th win of the season was complete, Houston still hadn’t taken the field for a 10:05 p.m. ET game in West Sacramento. The Astros and Athletics finish that series at 3:35 p.m. Thursday, creating at least one scenario in which the Sox could clinch before taking the field for the getaway night finale in Toronto.
Crochet mowed right through the suddenly struggling Blue Jays with a performance that was equal parts efficient (100 pitches, including 69 strikes, through eight innings) and dominant (three hits, no walks, six strikeouts).
His teammates staked him to a 3-0 lead before he even threw a pitch, striking for an early onslaught against Max Scherzer.
Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narváez both homered to lead Boston’s 12-hit attack.
