By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Former Ocean Springs High standout Garrett Crochet’s break out season in Major League Baseball continues.

Crochet struck out a career-high 13 over seven stellar stanzas and Andrew Vaughan homered and drove in the tie-breaking run in the 10th inning as the visiting Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners in T-Mobile Park Thursday night. Even though he didn’t pick up the win, Crochet helped Chicago avoid being swept in the four-game series but needed extra innings after Seattle star Julio Rodríguez tied it at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth with a solo homer off of White Sox closer Michael Kopech. 

Rodríguez laid off a couple of high fastballs from Kopech (2-6) and drove a 3-1 pitch to right-center for his sixth home run. Andrés Muñoz (2-3) pitched the 10th for Seattle, and he gave up a one-out single to Nicky Lopez that sent ghost runner Korey Lee from second base to third. Lee scored what would prove to be the game winning run on Vaughn’s groundout, a chopper to third.

Tanner Banks worked a perfect inning for his second save. Chicago pitchers finished with 19 strikeouts, their most in a game since 2019, including those 13 from Crochet.

“We actually played four really good baseball games here. It’s a shame we were 1-3, but we’re leaving here with a win,” manager Pedro Grifol said.

For most of the night, Crochet was the story. Relying almost entirely on his fastball and cutter, the 24-year-old lefty allowed two hits and struck out double-digit batters for the third time in his last four starts. During that four-game span, Crochet has allowed five earned runs and struck out 42.

Crochet’s 13 strikeouts were the most by a White Sox pitcher since former Ole Miss pitcher Lance Lynn had 16 also against Seattle on June 18, 2023. Crochet’s one big mistake came in the fifth when rookie Tyler Locklear slapped a changeup out to left field for his first career home run.

It was the only changeup Crochet threw among his 102 pitches, according to MLB Statcast data. The rest were fastballs and cutters.

“I think they just protect each other well,” Crochet said, of the two pitches. “My heater is fairly straight but has a little bit of cut sometimes. So I think that they look very similar up until the last five feet from the plate. That’s kind of allowed it to be its own weapon.”

Vaughn hit his eighth homer with one out in the third. Three pitches later, Luis Robert, Jr., went deep for the second straight night. Robert had a pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning on Wednesday that tied the game at 1 before Seattle won in extra innings. The White Sox had homered in 14 straight games at that point.

“Can’t say enough about our pitching, defense. We just got shut down tonight,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “Their starter was obviously really good.”

Crochett is 6-5 overall after his 15th start of the season. His 13 strike outs Thursday brought his total to 116 total this season, which is not only the highest in the American League but he is tied for the most in all of MLB with Tyler Glasnow of the Los Angeles Dodgers. His next start is expected to come on Wednesday against the Houston Astros at home in Chicago at Comiskey Park

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