The mound initially felt familiar to the Red Sox’s $170 million star, but that familiarity didn’t last long. Doubts started creeping in, and eventually he made a regretful confession. It was just recently when he signed a contract extension with the Red Sox for 6 years, $170 million. Sounds massive, right? But let’s not forget that such a dream contract comes with so much pressure. And at times, that pressure is capable of making one forget their identity. That’s exactly what’s happening with this Red Sox ace.

At the centre of it all is Garret Crochet. For starters, the Red Sox aren’t disappointed with him. It’s actually Crochet himself who can’t take the pressure anymore. He has just come to the realization that he regrets the direction he has chosen for himself. Crochet kicked off this season on a strong note. Across his first five starts, he sits with a 1.13 ERA and 35 strikeouts across 32 innings.

His regretful confession stems from Thursday, when he wore the Red Sox uniform for his first outing against the Seattle Mariners. He made a personal record for himself by issuing five walks, but eventually the Mariners won and handed the Red Sox a painful 4-3 defeat. Wait, that’s not what went wrong. This time, at Fenway Park, he didn’t seem like his usual self.

The aftermath of the loss went downhill as he made a regretful confession about being caught up in a feeling of being someone he is certainly not. Postgame, Crochet reportedly stated, “Just to mention that I wasn’t happy with the success I was having, that I felt I had work to do, was the wrong approach.” The regret was reflected through his words.

It seems like Crochet has analysed his game a bit too much. He continued, “For me, pitching is about hitting your spots and painting, I suppose. That’s just not me.” He admitted that precision isn’t his forte, and when he does hit the corners, it’s often unintentional, suggesting a misalignment between his natural abilities and his current approach.

At just 25, Crochet seems to be taking a lot of pressure. Not to mention, he is already a fan favorite. The learning curve is still going on for him, but he never fails to dominate when it matters the most. Well, it’s not the first time he has been unhappy with his performance.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s take on Crochet

In the recent game against the Seattle Mariners, Garrett Crochet wasn’t at his best self according to him. But it wasn’t the first time something like this happened. On 19th April, when the Red Sox went up against the Chicago White Sox, Crochet again didn’t meet the standards he set for himself.

And it looks like Alex Cora was on the same page as Crochet in terms of his performance. Let’s keep in mind that it hasn’t been long since he signed the contract extension that came along with relentless pressure.

Not to mention, the Red Sox defeated the White Sox, but Crochet wasn’t really celebrating for the same reasons. Post game, Cora stated, “The stuff was good, but erratic. Some deep counts, some two-strike hits. But on a night where he was just OK, that’s what we get.”  Crochet battled 24 White Sox batters, and out of those, 10 got five pitches from him. He surrendered three of the four hits that eventually came with two strikes.

This season, altogether, he has allowed 19 hits, out of which 5 have come with two strikes. But it’s Crochet we are talking about. He is always running after the best of the best. He might not see him at the best place right now, but it’s temporary; he will come around and meet the standards he has set for himself.