Modern pitchers rarely go more than five or six innings nowadays, especially in the playoffs.

However, Garrett Crochet isn’t a normal pitcher . He’s one of the best hurlers in baseball , and that’s why Alex Cora didn’t rush to take him out in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday.

Going into the bottom of the eighth, the Red Sox led the New York Yankees 2-1. With Crochet at 100 pitches, it seemed like the perfect time to take him out and turn the game over to Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman — two of the best relievers in MLB this year.

However, Cora stuck with Crochet coming off a six-pitch seventh inning, opting to bypass Whitlock. The gutsy call paid off, as Crochet got two more key outs before departing with a runner on first, allowing Chapman to finish off the win an

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