Ten strikeouts, seven crisp innings, and not a single run allowed. That was Garrett Crochet’s line on Monday night, the backbone of a 7-0 win that kept the Red Sox humming in September. Trevor Story launched a 404-foot jolt in the first, Carlos Narváez crushed a 422-footer in the fifth, and Boston’s lineup stacked quality at-bats in between to pull away from the Athletics.
Crochet needed only poise and rhythm to put this one on ice. Back on five days’ rest and coming off a stretch where his command had wobbled, the left-hander dialed in early and never let Oakland breathe. He pounded the zone, climbed the ladder when he had to, and turned late-count pressure into strikeouts. When the A’s found contact, it was weak—routine grounders, lazy flies, the kind of contact that keeps your fielders on their toes and your pitch count on schedule.
Boston’s offense set the tone right away. Story jumped a first-inning pitch and sent it into the left-field seats, his swing short and loud. That early 1-0 lead mattered more than it looked; Boston is now 22-1 when Story goes deep this year, and it carried the dugout’s energy from the jump. From there, the Red Sox stayed disciplined with runners on and took what the game gave them.
Crochet sets the tone on the mound
The outing looked like a course correction for Crochet. He worked quickly, kept hitters guessing with late life up in the zone and bite down and away, and finished off at-bats instead of letting them leak into long, grinding plate appearances. Double-digit punchouts told part of the story; the other part was how often he got to strike one. Working ahead let him expand when needed, and the A’s chased just enough to keep rallies from forming.
Oakland’s best looks came in scattered singles that never linked up. Crochet stranded the traffic with a mix of strikeouts and soft-contact outs, and the infield helped. Alex Bregman handled hot shots at third. Story and Ceddanne Rafaela covered the middle with smooth footwork and easy throws. Those little defensive wins don’t always show up in the box score, but they keep zeroes on the board.
By the time the bullpen took over for the last two frames, the pace was set. Two clean innings finished the shutout, and for a night, the staff looked exactly like a unit built for a September push: a top starter dictating tempo, followed by relievers who throw strikes and get off the field.
Power early, pressure often: how Boston built the 7-0 margin
Boston didn’t lean only on the long ball. The lineup blended power with situational hitting and kept traffic on the bases. Here’s how the runs stacked up:
- 1st inning: Trevor Story opened the scoring with a 404-foot solo shot to left. Quick lead, immediate pressure.
- 2nd inning: Nick Sogard lined a single to center to bring home Masataka Yoshida. Moments later, Jarren Duran punched an RBI single to left to score Rafaela. Sogard was thrown out trying for third on the play—an aggressive read that didn’t hurt once Duran’s knock landed.
- 5th inning: Carlos Narváez turned on a pitch and sent it 422 feet to left-center. A few batters later, Bregman shot a single up the middle to score Duran, pushing it to 5-0.
- 8th inning: Romy González stayed on a pitch and rolled an RBI single to left to score Bregman. Yoshida followed with a liner to center, bringing home Story for the seventh run.
That mix—early power, then line drives through gaps—forced Oakland to pitch in the stretch most of the night. Duran’s speed kept the outfield honest. Sogard and González did their jobs with simple, direct swings. Bregman’s contact skills showed up in key moments. It wasn’t one player carrying the load; it was a lineup connecting the dots and passing the baton.
Story’s homer remains the tell for this team. When his bat shows early thump, Boston’s offense tends to loosen up. Pitchers have to challenge the heart of the order, and the next wave of hitters sees more fastballs. That played out again here. Narváez’s blast was another jolt, and his at-bat said a lot about Boston’s plan—don’t chase, get something to drive, and if it’s there, don’t miss.
On the basepaths, the Red Sox walked the line between aggressive and reckless. Sogard’s out at third in the second was the one misfire, but the payoff came in added pressure. The next inning, with the defense on its heels, Boston kept finding holes. And when the eighth inning arrived, they padded the lead with mature at-bats that looked a lot like postseason baseball—short swings, ball to the big part of the field, take the RBI and move on.
Oakland, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out Crochet. The A’s had a few well-struck balls, but the timing was off. They rarely got the matchup they wanted, and when they worked the count, Crochet finished the at-bat with a pitch they couldn’t square. Defensively, the Athletics were solid and kept the game tidy; the problem was the constant need to navigate traffic and the lack of sustained offense to answer back.
Zoom out, and the night checked every box Boston wanted. The rotation got a length start without overtaxing the bullpen. The infield stayed sharp and mistake-free. The lineup showed depth: stars did the loud work, and role players stacked the quiet runs that turn a comfortable lead into a no-doubter.
There’s also a subtle benefit here. Crochet’s efficient seven on five days’ rest gives the staff options for the week—whether that’s keeping him on a rhythm that clearly suits him or using the off-days to reset the back end of the rotation. September is about health and matchups as much as anything. Banking stress-free innings matters.
For Narváez, nights like this help carve out a bigger role. When you get limited at-bats, the margin for error is small. Hammering a mistake pitch for 422 feet is a statement. For Sogard and González, it’s the same story: take your spot, move the line, cash in the runner. Managers remember who turns base traffic into runs.
And for Story, that 22-1 marker when he homers is more than a quirky stat. It hints at how Boston wins when they’re at their best: attack early, pitch with a lead, and let the defense do the rest. This game fit that mold from the first inning to the last.
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