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Garrett Crochet's turn in the rotation for the Boston Red Sox is a scary sight for opposing clubs.
Crochet finished second in last year's AL Cy Young voting after quickly emerging as the ace of Boston's pitching staff. Rightfully so, manager Alex Cora appointed the left-hander as the Opening Day starter for Thursday.
When Crochet exits a start, Cora typically calls upon one of his most trusted relievers, Garrett Whitlock. The right-hander is a former Rule 5 Draft pick from the New York Yankees and has turned into one of the best bullpen arms in the AL.
Waiting patiently for the ninth inning is Aroldis Chapman, last year's winner of the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award. Chapman is showing no signs of slowing down entering his age-38 season. To this day, his fastball routinely surpasses 100 mph, helping him strike out 85 batters in 61.1 innings in 2025.
Red Sox pitching staff predicted to make MLB history
The trio of Crochet, Whitlock, and Chapman is one of the best in the Majors and could lead to a historic moment this season.
"Garrett Crochet, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman combined to throw the season's first no-hitter, which falls on Crochet's fourth start of the year for the Red Sox." The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote in his 2026 season predictions on Wednesday.
There were no combined no-hitters last season. The last club to accomplish the feat was the Chicago Cubs (Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson, Porter Hodge) in 2024 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Given his talent, Crochet could also require no assistance in throwing a no-hitter this year.
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