Tennessee baseball had four former players on MLB active rosters to begin the 2025 season on Thursday including Garrett Crochet who was the Boston Red Sox Opening Day starting pitcher.
Crochet turned in a strong first outing of the season as the Red Sox earned a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
The tall left-hander allowed just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters in five innings pitched. Crochet exited with the game tied 2-2 before Boston scored three runs in the ninth inning to secure the Opening Day victory.
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Thursday’s start was Crochet’s first with the Red Sox. The former Tennessee standout spent the first four years of his career with the Chicago White Sox before they traded him to Boston this offseason.
The 2024 season was the first year that Crochet was a full-time starting pitcher and it was subsequently the best of his career. Crochet posted a 3.58 ERA and 1.068 WHIP with a 209 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched. Last year’s White Sox team was truly dreadful, posting a 41-121 record which was the fifth worst in the modern era of the MLB.
Now with the Red Sox, Crochet is looking to build off of his success from last season on a team that’s looking to compete for a playoff spot this season.
Former Tennessee stars Jordan Beck (Rockies), Seth Halvorsen (Rockies) and Ben Joyce (Angels) are also on MLB Opening Day rosters. Other Vols like Christian Moore and Drew Gilbert could make their MLB debuts during the 2025 season.
