Overview
- The sixth inning that unfolded Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium began with Garrett Crochet striking out Spencer Jones but ended with Crochet charged with four earned runs and no outs.
- The rally started when Adley Rutschman failed to secure the third strike on Jones, replay overturned the initial out call, Jones stole second and advanced to third on a poor throw, and George Lombard Jr. drove in the first run.
- Crochet had not pitched in a regular-season game since April 25 after left-shoulder inflammation, and Boston had rostered him as a short-relief, limited option rather than to rebuild him as a starter.
- After Crochet was lifted with the bases loaded, Garrett Whitlock allowed additional runs including a Cody Bellinger two-run homer that turned a 2-1 game into an 8-1 deficit.
- The sequence has prompted scrutiny of manager Chad Tracy’s decision to summon Crochet and questions about catcher–pitcher familiarity, and it raises payoff-versus-risk concerns about rostering injury-limited aces in short postseason roles.