Going by the numbers, Garrett Crochet was meant to be a Boston Red Sox.

“That was one of the first things that I realized after the trade went through,” said the newest member of the starting rotation during a Zoom call on Friday. “I wore 34 in college (and) that one was retired, and other than that I had never really picked a number since high school. And in high school I wore No. 14, which I also believe was retired. So it was just funny the way that it all worked out.”

David “Big Papi” Ortiz forever owns No. 34 in this town. Jim Rice had his No. 14 retired in 2009. The legendary Pedro Martinez was Boston’s greatest and last No. 45, the number Crochet wore for four seasons with the Chicago White Sox. So it’s “funny,” but also perhaps fated that the 25-year-old left-hander ended up in Boston.

Like so many baseball fans growing up in the 90s and early aughts, Crochet saw his new division as the center of the baseball universe.

“The opportunity to play for the market of Boston, the fan base that’s representing the Red Sox, is about as great of an opportunity as you can come by in this game,” Crochet said. “Especially growing up, that’s what you imagine to be as Major League Baseball, playing in the AL East, Boston, New York, the whole thing like that. And I grew up watching Big Papi, so it’s going to be a very surreal moment to play where he played.”

Ortiz, Rice, and Martinez still frequent Fenway Park – Rice is a regular on NESN’s pre- and postgame shows – and spend time at spring training each year, working with current players. Like anyone living out their childhood dream, Crochet doesn’t want to get his hopes up about meeting his heroes.

“I think having any sort of conversation with Pedro would be my ideal world,” Crochet said. “But I’m kind of going in with low expectations, hoping to bump into guys when I can.”

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There will be some familiar faces in the clubhouse, too. Lucas Giolito and Liam Hendriks were Crochet’s teammates in Chicago, and he said he “briefly” met Rob Refsnyder during a recent offseason. In July, Crochet, Tanner Houck, and Jarren Duran were first-time All-Stars together on Team American League.

Crochet has also pitched at Fenway Park three times since reaching the majors in September 2020. The fourth time will be different. He’s on Ortiz’s, Rice’s, and Martinez’s side now. The Fenway Faithful’s side.

“It’s an electric atmosphere and its fans are knowledgeable about baseball, and not every fan base can say that. That’s probably the biggest thing that I look forward to,” he said. “That along with they expect you to win, and they expect you to be great, because they’ve seen it before.”

Red Sox fans saw a lot of greatness from No. 14, 34, and 45. Crochet, wearing his new No. 35, is ready to deliver some more.