Not that it was much of a mystery, but Alex Cora made it official on Tuesday, announcing that Garrett Crochet will be the club’s Opening Day starter.
“He’ll start in Cincinnati, Game One,” Cora told reporters in Fort Myers. “Yeah, let’s get that (expletive) over with.”
Even with new additions Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray on board, Crochet was the obvious choice to start the club’s season opener. The big left-hander finished as American League Cy Young runner-up last season after posting a 2.59 ERA with 255 strikeouts in 205.1 innings, and this year he is expected to contend for the league’s top pitching honor again.
Although Crochet probably could have assumed just like everyone else, he didn’t find out for sure until he was asked by reporters at the start of his press conference on Tuesday. That prompted a humorous exchange where Crochet shouted thank you to Cora, who was standing nearby and responded “you’re welcome!”
Crochet then expressed gratitude for the opportunity to take the mound on Opening Day for the second year in a row.
“Yeah, I mean he had joked about it and jabbed about it in the past but I’m still trying to work like I’m making the team,” Crochet said. “To start for this team on Opening Day again, that’s a pretty cool feeling.”
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