Left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet’s much-anticipated debut at Fenway Park began on a historic note, albeit not in the way he or the Red Sox had envisioned. As the game kicked off at 35 degrees, it marked the third-coldest recorded first-pitch temperature at the ballpark according to Baseball Reference, just a degree warmer than the record. The chilly conditions persisted as the Toronto Blue Jays clinched a 6-1 victory two hours and 46 minutes later. “It felt like it,” manager Alex Cora commented on the frigid weather.

Crochet’s evening extended over 5.2 innings, conceding four runs, though only one was earned, alongside five hits, four walks, and five strikeouts. He threw 107 pitches, 65 of which were strikes, and managed to induce 11 swings-and-misses. “He did a commendable job,” Cora remarked. “Tough conditions, George (Springer) homers, we falter on plays, and that was it, but he did more than enough.”

Crochet had a contrasting view of his performance: “Terrible.” He elaborated, “There’s yet to be a start this year where I feel I’ve had my best stuff. Hopefully, it’s a building phase, and better performances will come later, but my glove-side command with the four-seam or the cutter is lacking, leading to overcorrections with the two-seam and not really driving it there.”

“The four-seam fastball command is missing,” Crochet continued. “Overall, walking batters is an issue. Four walks today, and that’s disappointing.” As temperatures dropped further, Crochet somewhat warmed up; he retired the Blue Jays 1-2-3 in the second and fourth innings and concluded three of the first four innings with a strikeout looking. At times, he cautiously eased up on his pitches.

“Whether I’m behind in the count with runners in scoring positions, there are moments where I choose my opportunities to get ahead,” Crochet stated. “It’s a passive strategy, not one I prefer, but tonight it was just about hanging in there.”

The deadlock persisted until the sixth inning when the Blue Jays capitalized. Their entire lineup faced Crochet and right-hander Zack Kelly in a four-run inning. Springer’s one-out solo home run ended the scoreless tie, but the majority of the damage came with two outs, as the inning was extended by a couple of infield errors. Davis Schneider reached base due to a throwing error by Alex Bregman, and Crochet walked Myles Straw, putting another runner on base.

Former Red Sox catcher Tyler Heineman’s RBI single turned chaotic when Kristian Campbell made a wide throw trying to catch him out at first. “That’s our top guy, given an extra day of rest, so we felt he could dominate that part of the lineup,” Cora explained regarding Crochet’s extended pitch count nearing 100. “We simply failed to make two plays.”

“A routine error for Alex, and then a youngster trying to do too much on one play,” Cora added. After Crochet walked Alan Roden, Cora brought in Kelly, who surrendered a two-run single to Bo Bichette before escaping the inning. The Blue Jays added two more runs in the eighth against Kelly and Josh Winckowski, who finished the game. Both runs were charged to Kelly.

On the other hand, Easton Lucas achieved career highs with 5.1 innings and eight strikeouts in his scoreless start. The Blue Jays’ starter limited the home team to three hits and one walk, inducing 12 swings-and-misses among his 82 pitches (57 were strikes). The Boston batters were as cold as the weather, going 1-2-3 in three of the first five innings, with only two hits and a walk. The strong wind blowing in from left field thwarted several well-hit balls.

Aside from an RBI single in the seventh, the Red Sox couldn’t muster any momentum. After scoring 44 runs over four games leading into this series, they’ve managed just three runs over the first two games against the Jays. Boston had eight hits compared to Toronto’s nine, but only one was for extra bases (Romy Gonzalez’s double), and they went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men stranded.

Boston kicked off the bottom of the ninth with a couple of well-placed singles, but the Blue Jays turned a double play on Gonzalez’s first-pitch comebacker to the mound, and Blake Sabol struck out looking to end the rally. When asked about the challenge of pitching in such conditions, Cora responded, “very.”

“I went to the mound twice, and I felt it. It was windy too,” the Sox manager said. “But, I mean, we always complain about April weather, not October. So, it is what it is. We had to play the game, and we’ve got another one tomorrow.” The Red Sox have now dropped two consecutive games following a five-game winning streak. Five runs mark their largest defeat margin this season. With a Yankees loss as well, the Blue Jays claim sole possession of first place in the American League East.