Boston Red Sox Ride Garrett Crochet, Late Rally To Opening Day Win 3-0 Over Cincinnati Reds

Ace sets tone early as Mayer, Anthony help push Boston across finish line Opening Day didn’t just mark the start of a new season for the Boston Red Sox (1-0) - it offered a glimpse of how this version of the roster might actually win games. Not with fireworks. Not with overwhelming offense.

But with pitching, patience, and a few timely swings. Behind a dominant performance from Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox opened their 2026 campaign with a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds (0-1) at Great American Ball Park, leaning on their ace to set the tone from the first inning on. Crochet looked nothing like the pitcher who labored through spring training.

His fastball had more life, his command was sharper, and when the moment demanded it, he had another gear. After the Reds loaded the bases in the sixth inning, Crochet responded by striking out Eugenio Suarez and Spencer Steer on back-to-back swings, punctuating six scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts. It was the kind of outing that reestablished him as the clear tone-setter for Boston’s rotation.

Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Great American Ball Park. (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images) For much of the afternoon, though, runs were hard to come by. Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott matched Crochet early, working through six scoreless innings of his own despite allowing traffic on the bases.