Red Sox's Garrett Crochet to Make Odd 140-Year MLB History

Opening Day is just about here for the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox will face off against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, March 26. The regular season is finally just about here and Garrett Crochet is going to make a big of obscure Major League Baseball history when he takes the mound for Boston on Thursday afternoon.

Crochet will become the first pitcher since 1886 to make an Opening Day start in each of his first three seasons as a starter, as shared on X by MLB Network.

The Red Sox flamethrower is going to make MLB history

Feb 26, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Garrett Crochet will make history on Opening Day! pic.twitter.com/7nBDcHg1cU
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 21, 2026

Insane. That's 140 years between 1886 and 2026 before the big lefty makes history. Crochet began his big league career as a reliever. He made five appearances in 2020 after being selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Crochet made 54 appearances out of the Chicago White Sox's bullpen in 2021 and then missed the 2022 season. In 2023, he returned with 13 appearances out of the bullpen for Chicago. In 2024, the White Sox transitioned Crochet to the rotation and he immediately found success. He was the White Sox's No. 1 starter and now is Boston's ace as well.

Crochet's rise has been meteoric. In 2025, he logged a 2.59 ERA and 255-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 205 1/3 innings pitched for Boston. He was an All-Star for the second straight season and finished in second place for the American League Cy Young Award behind just Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.

Crochet is entering his third full-time season as a starter and he has been viewed as an ace ahead of each one. There have been plenty of hurlers over the last 140 years who have been aces. The fact that Crochet is going to do something that no one else has done since 1886 shows how good he is as a pitcher and also a product of circumstance. If he didn't have those seasons as a full-time reliever beforehand, he wouldn't have had the experience and success in the majors initially to warrant Chicago shifting him to the rotation and putting him at the top. So, it's a perfect storm and some unlikely history is coming Crochet's way.

The offseason and Spring Training have both felt very long. Finally, regular season action will return on Thursday and it should be a fun season for Boston starting with Crochet on the mound.