Crochet, Eloy exit, to be further evaluated
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White Sox rookie left-hander Garrett Crochet and designated hitter Eloy Jiménez both departed early from a 6-4 loss to the A's during a deciding Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series on Thursday at the Oakland Coliseum. The loss ended a promising 2020 White Sox season.
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Sept. 29 | CWS 4, OAK 1 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Sept. 30 | OAK 5, CWS 3 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 1 | OAK 6, CWS 4 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: Crochet exited with left forearm tightness in the bottom of the second inning after striking out Khris Davis. He entered the game in the first inning with runners on first and third and two outs, and struck out Matt Olson after replacing starter Dane Dunning.
The team¡¯s top pick in the 2020 MLB Draft did not go above 97 mph with his fastball in his final at-bat against Davis. Crochet topped out at 98.9 mph during his outing, per Statcast; 69 of his 85 pitches this season were faster than that. It was this velocity change that drew manager Rick Renteria¡¯s immediate attention.
Renteria and assistant athletic trainer James Kruk checked on Crochet after the 21-year-old appeared to be shaking out his left hand. Renteria immediately made the move to call left-hander Aaron Bummer, who finished the scoreless second.
¡°We looked at the velocities,¡± Renteria said. ¡°We saw there was a dip, and I just thought it was a different type of pitch, but that¡¯s why we walked out there. He wasn¡¯t showing any signs. He wasn¡¯t doing anything that really indicated anything was amiss.
¡°The velocity showed something, so we went out and talked to him. We asked him how he was doing, and he said he was fine. Obviously, he had some tightness in that forearm. It wasn¡¯t even a thought to leave him there. Once that was presented to us, obviously, we saw the difference in the velocity, it was time to get him and get him out.¡±
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Jim¨¦nez, who had missed the previous five games dating back to the regular season due to a sprain in the middle of his right foot, doubled to open the third but was promptly lifted with discomfort in the same foot for pinch-runner James McCann, who scored on Luis Robert¡¯s single. Each player's absence was noticeable, with Crochet¡¯s exit leaving the White Sox to fill in two innings planned for the southpaw partially based on pitch count.
Crochet and Jim¨¦nez will be further evaluated, per the White Sox, although they now have the offseason to recover.