How everything Garrett Crochet had led to a stellar White Sox opening day start and fed into massive potential

CHICAGO, Ill. - Plenty of emotions swirled for Garrett Crochet on Thursday.

Two years ago, he was done for the 2022 Chicago White Sox season before it began with Tommy John Surgery. Two years later, he's the opening day starter.

It's a balancing act that would disrupt the best gymnasts.

Crochet dispelled those emotions once he stepped foot on the pitchers mound.

Suddenly, those emotions aplenty were gone.

"Once I stepped on the mountain, it was night and day difference," Grochet said. "Just like the emotions of excitement and nervousness and that sort seemed to just wash away."

It showed.

Crochet, in his first opening day start and his first MLB start, allowed five hits, one earned run, struck out eight batters and went without a walk on 87 pitches through six innings.

He was dealing, and the combination of everything Crochet has pieced together in his MLB journey presented itself Thursday against the Tigers.

"It's the whole thing," White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. "It's the presence, it's the stuff. It's just the way he attacks. It's confidence."

That confidence was ready to get back out in the seventh inning with the Sox holding on to a 1-0 lead.

But, the chance to go deeper into a line-up will come later this season once Crochet builds the proper stamina to pitch deeper into games.

"I was ready to go back out there for the seventh, at least go batter to batter or something like that," Crochet said. "But having only gone four up since spring training, I think that was really the main thing that kind of gave us pause. But to give my team a quality start in the first one, nothing better than that."

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 28: Garrett Crochet #45 of the Chicago White Sox throws in the first inning of the Opening Day game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on March 28, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Ima

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Detroit got one run off Crochet, a third-inning sacrifice fly that plated Javier Baez, which proved to be the decider, but it's difficult to find a major issue with a performance that showed Crochet is ready for the biggest stages.

Through spring training, the Sox knew it was there. Crochet shook off Tommy John and willed himself back to the pitcher he was before surgery.

"The stuff that we saw is reminiscent to what we saw in 2020 when he came over," White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Wednesday. "Obviously, that was a quick transition from college to the big leagues."

Today's start wasn't a shock to Grifol, either. The Sox manager has seen this kind of performance for an entire preseason.

The Sox were without an ace once they traded Dylan Cease. Crochet's performance on Thursday was the kind that can convince an organization another ace could surface in Crochet.

"Once he got up with the big league club, it was almost like every game he was available to pitch," Getz said. "You couldn't wait for Garrett Crochet to get into the game."

Now, the Sox get to see him every four days.

Crochet said he's planning to pitch next Tuesday on four days of rest. That gives the Sox a consistent and dependable starter this season as it looks to figure out the rest of its rotation.

If opening day was any indication, the Sox have secured the top spot in the rotation. Grifol said it's one game at a time for Crochet now.

For Crochet, that spot in the rotation has been secured in his mind since spring training. That confidence in himself and the pitches he can throw are all he's needed, no matter how his past has looked.

"Since I kind of found the cutter in spring training, it's kind of been without a shadow of a doubt in my mind," Crochet said.

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