Garrett Crochet, fresh off of signing a six-year, $170 million deal with the Red Sox, nearly tossed a no-hitter on Sunday.

The former Tennessee left-handed pitcher went 7.1 innings without allowing a hit before a single poked through past the diving glove of Boston's shortstop.

He was pulled afterward with the Red Sox notching a 3-1 win over the White Sox.

Chicago also marks the former team of Crochet as he returned home to his former ball park. Fans in attendance, despite the home team losing, gave him an ovation after his exit.

Crochet finished with a line of one hit, one walk, one earned run and 11 strikeouts on the afternoon.

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“It’s incredible to look back on just his recruitment process and the start of our time here was the start of his time as well, and then how he developed," Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello said after the extension. "Sorry to sound like recruiting mode, but the good thing about the people that I work with is they treat everyone as an individual and figure out, what do we got to do to get the most out of this guy? And for him, there was ability there. I think it’s even a little overrated about how he went from, you know, just an average stuff guy to phenomenal stuff guy. The stuff definitely got better, but I think he just needed to mature as a baseball player and get routines and really start to figure out what true confidence is, because we all thought he could be real good once we were around him. But I think at times, I don’t think he realized how good he could be, and certainly he does now. Essentially what those guys (Boston Red Sox) are doing, are investing in what they see. First, with the trade, and then obviously he’s around them with work ethic and other things, they’re saying, like, ‘oh, we were right with the trade. We want to be right again.’ So kudos to him. And obviously we’re happy for the organization.”

At Tennessee, Crochet pitched for Vols from 2018-20.

He made 13 starts in 36 appearances while earning a 4.64 ERA in his career. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the first round (11th pick) of the 2020 MLB Draft.

As a freshman, Crochet posted a 5.51 ERA and 5-6 record. He appeared in 17 games while starting in six.

The following year, Crochet made 18 appearances and six starts. He went 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA in his outings.

His junior year at Tennessee was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the cancellation, he pitched in 3.1 innings in one start. He did not give up a run and struck out six batters.

This marked the fourth appearance with the Red Sox for Crochet. He currently owns a 2-1 record and 1.38 ERA. In his 26 innings pitched, he has allowed just four runs while striking out 28 batters.

Before making the move to Boston, Crochet pitched for the White Sox for four seasons after making his debut in 2020.

There, he posted his best year in 2024. As he made the move to a starting role, he pitched and started in 32 games. He recorded a 6-12 record on a Chicago team that finished 41-121.

He owned a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the year.

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