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Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

3 reasons Garrett Crochet must win AL Cy Young over Tarik Skubal

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints
By Steve Silverman, ClutchPoints | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 10:33 PM ET

Garrett Crochet and the Boston Red Sox are fighting for a spot in the American League playoffs. At the start of September, they appeared to have a good chance of coming away with the top Wild Card spot and the possibility of running down the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.

With a little more than a week to go in the season, they have slipped to the last Wild Card spot and they could fall behind the Cleveland Guardians and finish outside the playoff structure.

Yes, the Red Sox have had some significant injuries, but nobody is going to feel sorry for them. Certainly, they would be in a better position if rookie star Roman Anthony (oblique) and rightfielder Wilyer Abreu (calf strain) were in the lineup, but that’s not the situation that manager Alex Cora has in front of him.

The fact that they were in a great position earlier and are still hanging on is largely due to the superb performance of Crochet, their ace starter.

He was the top prize in the offseason and the Red Sox acquired him from the lowly Chicago White Sox for four prospects. Crochet had flashed his ability while pitching for the struggling White Sox last year, but the Red Sox were still taking a chance when they brought him into the fold.

It’s a good thing they did, and he has an excellent chance of winning the American League Cy Young Award. The Red Sox had high hopes for Crochet and the power-pitching left hander has exceeded what Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow could have hoped for him.

Crochet is competing with Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for the honor. While the numbers for both pitchers are fairly similar, Crochet has earned the honor.

Crochet can bring the power whenever he needs it

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Red Sox have learned first hand that Crochet wants the ball every fifth game and he has made 30 starts going into the final nine games of the regular season. He has a remarkable 16-5 record, one that is bettered only by Max Fried’s 18-5 mark with the Yankees.

The won-loss record of a starting pitcher is often discounted in the modern game, but the Red Sox would be in big trouble if Crochet has not consistently won games this season. He has a 2.63 earned run average with 240 strikeouts in 191.1 innings.

Crochet’s primary pitches are his four-seam fastball and his late-breaking cutter. He also has a sinker, a curve and a change-up, but the four-seamer and the the cutter are his bread and butter.

Skubal also has a great array of pitches and may throw with more velocity than Crochet, but the Crochet fastball that tails away from right-handed batters is simply a dangerous pitch that can blow hitters away at the most crucial moments.

Crochet has carried the Red Sox on his back

Crochet has been the best pitcher among the Red Sox starters all season. He has gotten support from No. 2 and No. 3 starters Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito. However, while Crochet has thrown a league-leading 191.1 innings for the Red Sox, Bello is at 157.2 innings and Giolito is at 140.1. He has double the strikeouts of either of his fellow starters. Bello has a 3.25 ERA while Giolito is at 3.46. Both are respectable, while Crochet has been brilliant.

Skubal is clearly the best pitcher on the Tigers’ staff, but Casey Mize is better in the No. 2 role than Bello is in his role. The Tigers also play better defense and have better hitting up and down the lineup.

Crochet has had to carry more of his team’s weight than Skubal — at least by a small margin.

Crochet has been better recently

Skubal has not been at his best in his most recent starts. He got the loss in an Aug. 25 game against the Athletics and he also took the loss in the Sept. 12 game against the Miami Marlins. He was removed from the game with left side tightness after just 3.1 innings while giving up 4 runs, all earned.

On the other hand, Crochet is 3-0 in his last 5 starts. He had two wins over the Yankees and one over the Athletics. The Red Sox also won his other two starts in that five-game span.

The difference late in the season between the two pitchers should tip the Cy Young Award in Crochet’s favor.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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