The White Sox officially have played their worst baseball game of the season. They fell to the Cincinnati Reds 7-1, which gave the Reds their 7th win a row. Still, the White Sox did have a silver lining named Garret Crochet.
In a last-minute decision, the White Sox decided to call up their number 11 pick from the 2020 draft. The Reds were not ready for the fireballs that came out of this kid’s hand. Crochet only pitched three and ⅓ innings at the University of Tennessee because of a sore shoulder, but he was at the Schaumburg site throughout the season, focused on throwing.
The last time the White Sox called a player up the same season they were drafted was P Chris Sale in 2010. Crochet has been compared to Sale as both are lefties, both throw 100, and both possess a wipeout pitch. If Crochet is even half as good as Sale was for the White Sox, Rick Hahn has hit another one out of the park. Crochet came in the sixth inning and gave White Sox fans the only bit of excitement for this whole game.
Crochet looked a little shaky facing his first batter, OF Brian Goodwin. He got into full count but blasted his 100MPH fastball for his first career strikeout. After shaking off his first batter jitters, Crochet went all fastballs, striking out SS Jose Garcia. The third batter he faced, C Tucker Barnhart, had hit a home run earlier, but Crochet was in a groove and took him down with only four pitches. Barnhart grounded out to end the inning. Crochet completed the first inning of his career and set the internet ablaze.
Garret Crochet hit 100-101MPH six times in this appearance. His windup and delivery looked smooth and effortless, making his fastball extremely hard to handle. White Sox fans didn’t even see Crochet’s wipeout slider, but this debut reminded me of SP David Price coming up for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. Price was a huge piece that helped the Rays make the World Series that season. Crochet looks like he could have that type of impact for the White Sox in the 2020 playoffs.
The White Sox have Dallas Keuchel tabbed to start against Cy Young candidate Trevor Bauer. The Reds are a legit playoff team, and it is time to step up to the plate, boys. The White Sox still have a lot to play for as they shouldn’t lose any more games as the division hasn’t been clinched and should aim to play the Blue Jays in the first series. No more hangover talk; let’s get back to White Sox baseball.