Garrett Crochet and Red Sox Rookie Form a Battery Built for October

Garrett Crochet didn’t just beat the Yankees on Sunday night; he and rookie catcher Carlos Narváez looked like a battery Boston can ride into October. Crochet matched his season high with 12 strikeouts over six innings in a 6–4 win, while Narváez capped the six-run first with a two-out solo homer.

This pairing has a little intrigue baked in.

The Red Sox acquired Narváez from the Yankees last December, a low-buzz move that’s aged well. He’s settled in as a steady hand behind the plate and a league-average bat, hitting .248/.318/.747 with 14 HR and 45 RBI after Sunday’s blast.

Crochet, meanwhile, keeps stacking ace nights. For 2025, he’s at 16–5, 2.63 ERA, 240 K, and he’s been especially sharp against New York: 3 starts, 21.1 IP, 27 K, 3 BB, 7 ER — essentially a 2.95 ERA with a punchout an inning-plus.

The radio crew also noted a velocity bump Sunday (four-seamer and sinker both ticking up), which tracks with Crochet’s own “must-win” framing after the game — the kind of extra gear you want from your No. 1 when the lights get hot.

Beyond one night, the fit with Narváez looks real. 

Speaking to WEEI after the game, Crochet praised the rookie’s sequencing and feel, and the game flow backed it up: early aggression to steal strikes, then expanding late once New York started selling out for velocity. That comfort matters as Boston lines up for October.

And the bracket math adds spice. With the Red Sox sitting 1½ games behind New York for the top AL Wild Card (and holding the tiebreaker), a Wild Card Round matchup between these clubs is squarely on the table.

 If that happens, Boston’s “surprising battery” of a dominating ace and the rookie catcher the Yankees moved might be the X-factor that swings a short series.

For now, Sunday was a tidy proof of concept. Crochet's strikeout stuff and Narváez's poise are a postseason recipe that can cook.