Reds Beat: Reds Dodge A Bullet But Can’t Dodge Garrett Crochet, Red Sox and ABS in 3-0 Opening Day Loss

CINCINNATI — The Reds may not have gotten all the breaks Thursday in a 3-0 season-opening loss to the Red Sox at Great American Ball Park.

But it’s the one break they didn’t get they’ll be most grateful for.

The Red Sox had a golden opportunity in the fifth when Cedanne Rafaela was called safe at first on a ball hit to second baseman Matt McLain. The throw appeared to beat Rafaela by a half-step on replay. But the Reds could not challenge because they lost one in the first inning. Anthony followed with his third hit, a 110-mph line drive single off the left wrist of Cincinnati first baseman Sal Stewart, who went down immediately and was seen by trainers and manager Terry Francona for several minutes.

“I think at first, I think he thought it was broken,” Francona said. “You could tell by the way he acted. And then I think once, kind of the shock of the wore off, he’s gonna be so, I mean, that was a bullet, but I think we dodged a big bullet, and he’s gonna get looked at by the docks now, and he was looked at during the game, but he’s young and he’s pretty tough kid. He’ll be okay.”

Replays looked ugly and downright gruesome. But there was no break. Stewart stayed in the game and Abbott proceed to retire the next two batters to get out of the first-and-second jam. He even singled as part of a rally that led to a bases-loaded threat in the sixth. Stewart overcame being drilled in the left wrist by the Anthony liner in the fifth and had three hits to become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.

His two-out bloop ground rule double to right in the eighth set up a rematch of the WBC title game when Eugenio Suarez beat Garrett Whitlock and Team USA with a go-ahead double in the 3-2 Venezuela win. This time, Whitlock fanned Suarez to end the eighth inning threat.

Abbott finished with six scoreless innings, scattering seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts on 83 pitches.

Crochet (1-0) matched Abbott and pitched out of his biggest jam in the sixth when he fanned Eugenio Suarez and Spencer Steer with the bases loaded.

Crochet pitched six scoreless innings and Cedanne Rafaela broke a scoreless tie in the seventh with an RBI single to lead the visiting Boston Red Sox past the Reds, 3-0, Thursday in the season opener for both clubs in Cincinnati.

In the first game with the new ABS system for balls and strikes for both teams, Boston won two key challenges that impacted the game.

Roman Anthony had three hits while Trevor Story and Jarren Duran added insurance RBI singles in the ninth. The Story and Duran hits came with two outs after Anthony challenged a strike three call that would’ve ended the inning.

“That’s going to be part of a strategy both teams that had them left,” Francona said. “I think our pitchers are going to have to get used to thinking the inning’s over, and it’s not. It’s almost like when a guy comes out and you say, ‘Hey, way to go. Can you get one more?’ So you’re gonna have to stay dialed in.”

Crochet, the 2025 American League Cy Young runner-up, allowed three hits, walked two and struck out eight in six scoreless innings to earn the win.

Marcelo Mayer opened the seventh as a pinch-hitter against new Reds reliever Pierce Johnson (0-1) with a wind-blown double to left-center, just beyond the reach of center fielder TJ Friedl.

Former Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman came on and pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

With a summer-like temperature of 81 degrees and a stiff 15-mph breeze blowing out to left, dueling lefties Crochet and Andrew Abbott managed to match zeros for the first six innings.

Abbott finished with six scoreless innings, scattering seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts on 83 pitches.

Crochet matched Abbott and pitched out of his biggest jam in the sixth when he fanned Eugenio Suarez and Spencer Steer with the bases loaded. Suarez, who struck out three times, was called out on strikes to end the fourth when Boston catcher Carlos Narvaez challenged a called ball.

Abbott was able to work his way out of jams in the first two innings, thanks to a pair of ground ball double plays, one started by Ke’Bryan Hayes at third and the other fielded by Elly De La Cruz at short.

The Red Sox totaled five hits over the first three innings against Abbott, including two by Anthony, but could not score.