Red Sox ace feels guilt over Alex Cora firing: ‘Ultimately, I blame myself a lot’

TL;DR

Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet expressed guilt over the firing of Alex Cora, feeling responsible for the team's poor performance. With a 6.30 ERA this season, Crochet believes his struggles contributed to the team's disappointing record.

Key points

Garrett Crochet feels guilt over Alex Cora's firing
Crochet has a 6.30 ERA in six starts this season
Red Sox are 11-17 this season
Crochet believes his performance has affected the team's results
He considers himself a leader and feels responsible for the team's struggles

Mentioned in this story

Garrett CrochetAlex Cora

Red Sox

BALTIMORE — In the hours following the shocking news that Alex Cora and a handful of his coaches had been fired, Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet felt shock, like the rest of his teammates. But the lefty also experienced another emotion: guilt.

Crochet has not performed as expected so far this season and even after six shutout innings, has a 6.30 ERA in six starts in 2026. The Red Sox are just 3-3 in his starts after going 24-9 (including the postseason) with him on the mound last year. Crochet has been one of the many reasons for Boston’s poor start and 11-17 record. Because of that, he found himself looking inward in the wake of Saturday’s cuts.

“We’ve been playing terrible,” Crochet said. “I kind of feel like those guys paid the cost of our own crime. That’s the tough part you have to battle internally, I suppose. It caused a lot of us to be introspective.

“I consider myself, whether it be in the clubhouse or on the field, a leader of this team. There were a lot of times I either had the chance to reverse momentum or keep our momentum going and I let the team down,” he added. “Ultimately, I blame myself a lot for where we’re at this year. Even if I’m throwing once every five days, it’s really just a statement thing. When I go out there and pitch well, it allows the rest of the guys to keep doing their thing and for the cog to keep churning.”

Some of Crochet’s teammates, including shortstop Trevor Story, felt that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s explanation for Cora’s firing during a Sunday morning team meeting fell short — and demanded further context. Crochet took a more measured approach to the news and sat down to eat with Breslow at a table outside the visitors clubhouse at Camden Yards after Boston’s 5-3 win to talk through some questions he had.