Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet stood by his decision to pitch Aaron Judge aggressively in the ninth inning of Friday night's dramatic 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees.
Crochet took the mound with a 1-0 lead, vying for a complete-game shutout. He'd struck out Judge in his three previous at-bats - and in six straight dating back to their last matchup - but threw a fastball in the zone on a full count that the two-time MVP crushed for a game-tying home run.
(Video source: MLB.com)
"I'm going to live and die with my best pitch," Crochet said postgame, according to ESPN. "Whether it be pitch selection or execution, tough way to end it. But overall, I felt really good tonight."
Crochet then departed the game, allowing just one earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts over 8 1/3 innings.
Aroldis Chapman recorded the final two outs of the ninth before giving way to Garrett Whitlock in the tenth. He picked up the win as Boston won on a walk-off single from catcher Carlos Narváez.
"It was a special feeling jogging back out there (for the ninth)," Crochet said. "Standing (ovation). I could tell the fans wanted me out there. I already wanted to be out there pretty bad. But it made it mean a little bit more. It made me grab a little bit more in that inning. I wish I could have finished it out. ... If my night had to end there from a home run, I'm at least glad that it was on a fastball."
Crochet has been fantastic in his first season with the Red Sox. The left-hander owns a 2.24 ERA (184 ERA+) and 1.03 WHIP with an American League-leading 117 strikeouts through 15 starts.
Boston acquired Crochet from the Chicago White Sox for a package of prospects during the offseason and inked him to a six-year, $170-million extension before the season started.
"He's an incredible pitcher," Judge said. "That's why they traded for him. He works both sides of the plate (and) has overpowering stuff. I was trying to get on base to start a rally, and I was happy to tie it."
Boston will send Hunter Dobbins to the mound opposite Carlos Rodón in the second game of its series against the Yankees on Saturday.
