NEW YORK – The Yankee Stadium faithful wanted to get rowdy on Saturday afternoon after watching the home team come up empty in the first two games of a four-game rivalry matchup.
But Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet kept everyone from the box seats to the Bleacher Creatures to the upper deck quiet and in their seats for the majority of his latest dominant performance. Crochet stifled the Yankees, scattering five hits and one run while walking one and striking out 11.
Behind the lefty, who is referred to as “beast” within the confines of his clubhouse, the Red Sox rolled to their third straight victory this weekend and fifth overall in the Bronx, defeating the Yankees, 12-1, on a postcard type of summer day.
In his first season with Boston, Crochet is stacking up a run at the American League’s Cy Young Award. Crochet’s latest impressive effort only improved his case, as he ran his record to 14-5 while lowering his ERA to 2.38 ERA while running his strikeout total to 207, just two shy of the career high he set last season.
By reaching the 200-K mark within his first 26 starts, Crochet joined some select company in becoming just the third pitcher in club history to do so.
The others? Pedro Martinez (three times), Chris Sale (twice) and Roger Clemens (once).
But as the Red Sox improved to 8-1 against their rivals this season, Crochet was far from the only story.
Trevor Story, an American League Comeback Player of the Year candidate, belted a two-out, two-run double into the corner in left in the third to break a scoreless tie. Two innings later, he belted a solo homer to right-center, his 20th of the season.
Story joined Nomar Garciaparra (1997) and John Valentin (‘95) as the only shortstops in club history to have 20-20 (homers and steals) seasons. The right-handed hitter, who spent his first three seasons in Boston battling injuries, has been healthy throughout this one and has 82 RBIs.
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