The stakes were different for Garrett Crochet the last time he pitched in the postseason.

He wasn’t Boston’s ace, a contender for the American League Cy Young award or the starter of Game 1 of a wild-card series against the Yankees.

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Back in 2020 and 2021, he combined to throw just three innings out of the bullpen for the White Sox — still just a reliever, still seasons away from shifting to the rotation and establishing himself as a $170 million arm.

But when Boston opens the playoffs Tuesday in The Bronx, the Red Sox will turn to Crochet, who has silenced the Yankees in four starts this seas

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