There’s a reason not to put too much stock into spring training stats.
Garrett Crochetslammed the door on any concern with a dominant Opening Day performance after posting a 7.36 ERA this spring.
Making his second straight Opening Day start for Boston, Crochet overpowered the Reds, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing three hits and two walks, and striking out eight.
“He did an amazing job,” manager Alex Corasaid of his ace. “That last inning, (he) started with a walk and then he just found it back and finished strong, and gave us a chance for the offense to cash in.”
The left-hander’s only real trouble came in the sixth inning.
With one out and the bases loaded in a scoreless game, the Reds sent Eugenio Suárezto the plate looking for a breakthrough moment at Great American Ball Park, but Crochet had other plans.
He buried a 1-2 cutter in the dirt to get Suárez, then elevated a 90-mph cutter past Spencer Steer, blowing it by the right-hander to end the threat.
For Crochet, it put a bow on a dominant season debut, keeping the game scoreless until the offense finally broke through.
Garrett Crochet works his way out of the jam to keep things scoreless! 🐷#OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/12vXY4w14d— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2026
When Cora turned in his lineup card, Marcelo Mayer was not in the starting lineup with left-hander Andrew Abbott on the mound for Cincinnati. But Cora called on him in a key spot, and Mayer delivered, ripping a pinch-hit double off the wall in center field.
“The pinch hit there, it was huge,” Cora said.
Carlos Narváez laid down a bunt to move Mayer to third, and Ceddanne Rafaelafollowed with an RBI single to give the Red Sox their first run of the season.
“You’ve got to stay ready,” Mayer told reporters after the game. “My job when I don’t start is to make sure that I’m ready to come in whenever he needs me to. I was able to come through.”
Abbott was in full control early, working six scoreless innings despite traffic on the bases. He scattered seven hits and a walk while striking out four, consistently pitching out of trouble and keeping Boston from generating any real momentum until Mayer came through with his clutch pinch-hit.
There we go, Ceddanne ‼️ pic.twitter.com/8yWWsO5uxV— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 26, 2026
Boston added insurance in the ninth after Mayer sparked the rally with a leadoff single. Anthony drew a two-out walk after a successful ABS challenge overturned a strike call, and Trevor Story drove in Mayer with a base hit. Jarren Duranfollowed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
“I believe we have a good offense and will score more, but we will pitch,” Cora said after the game.
Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapmanhandled the final two innings, closing out a 3-0 shutout on Opening Day. In total, Reds hitters struck out 12 times on the day.
Anthony was just as impressive at the plate. He ripped the first pitch he saw from Abbott at 112.3 mph for a single, added another hit in the third, and legged out a 110.2 mph infield single in the fifth, after his liner went off Reds first baseman Sal Stewart'swrist.
"I think, at first, I think he thought it was broken," Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game. "You could tell by the way he acted. And then I think once kinda the shock wore off - he's going to be sore. I mean, that was a bullet. But I think we dodged a big bullet. And he's gonna get looked at by the docs now. He was looked at during the game. But he's young, and he's a pretty tough kid. He'll be okay."
Amazing that Sal Stewart stayed in the game after this rope from Roman Anthony off his left wrist. pic.twitter.com/VXF9uh3rL3— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) March 26, 2026
Stewart remained in the game and added three hits for himself, becoming the first Reds rookie ever to have three hits on Opening Day.
The 21-year-old finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, a walk, and a strikeout, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to reach base in his first plate appearance of a season.
The ABS challenge system also played a role, as Narváez successfully challenged a 2-2 pitch to Suárez that clipped the bottom of the zone. The overturned call resulted in a strikeout to end the inning.
Despite the modest final score, the Red Sox showed plenty of life at the plate, out-hitting the Reds 12–4, an indication that the offense was more productive than the scoreboard suggests, even if timely hits were hard to come by.
“I believe we have a good offense and will score more, but we will pitch,” said Cora.
The Red Sox are off Friday and will return to action Saturday at Great American Ball Park. Sonny Gray is scheduled to start for Boston opposite Brady Singer, with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m.
