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Former Tennessee Vol Garrett Crochet humbled Yankees superstar Aaron Judge in a way that almost no one has

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 4:17 PM ET

Former Tennessee Vols hurler Garrett Grochet has had quite the rise since completing his college career in 2020.

He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft and gradually earned his way to become one of the best pitchers in the league by 2024. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox back in December, who signed him to a six-year, $170 million extension at the start of the season.

Crochet's dominance was on full display on Friday night in the Red Sox' clash with the New York Yankees. Crochet shut down New York's potent lineup, but it was what he did against arguably the best hitter in baseball that was truly awe-inspiring. He struck out the defending AL MVP three straight times in Boston's 2-1 extra innings win.

Sheesh ‍ pic.twitter.com/DP5dM40rYt
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 14, 2025

What's more, Crochet has struck out Judge in six straight plate appearances, a very rare feat indeed.

It's not often that teams get Judge to whiff multiple times in a game. Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer managed to sit down Judge three straight times on strikes when the former was with the Mets during the 2022 season.

Crochet currently leads MLB in strikeouts (117) and innings pitched (96.1) with a 2.28 ERA and his lowest WHIP (average of combined walks and hits per innings pitched) since a limited sample size during his rookie year in 2020. And by making hitters like Judge look that helpless, it's clear the former Vol's stuff is as good as anyone's in the game and will very likely continue to be for years to come.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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