Going into his start on Saturday afternoon, Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray had a score to settle with the Toronto Blue Jays. Well, mainly manager John Schneider.
Schneider was the American League manager for the All-Star Game two weeks ago. Gray was snubbed from the team, despite a tremendous first half of the season. Along with trying to prove Schneider wrong, Gray was hoping to help his team continue this hot streak and vault up the AL wild-card standings.
However, it wasn’t meant to be.
Toronto battered him all over Fenway Park to the tune of five earned runs on 10 hits in just five innings in a 6-0 loss. It was a frustrating outing on multiple levels for Gray. After the game, he didn’t beat around the bush about his performance.
Boston Red Sox Pitcher Sonny Gray Doesn’t Mince Words on Start Against Blue Jays
What an addition Gray has been this season. Acquired over the offseason from the St. Louis Cardinals, he has entered the chat for the Cy Young Award in 2026. However, Saturday’s performance is one that he’s upset about.
“I’m [ticked] … I’m not happy about it,” said Gray, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “They were diving, hooking, looking for spin, hooking [the ball] down the line. And if that’s what they’re doing with the combination of me not executing my two-strike pitches and throwing them in the zone, it’s just a bad, bad combination.”
A bad combination it was. The big blow came from George Springer, who launched a three-run home run to highlight a five-run third inning. Toronto was able to work the count on Gray, which will leave him sleepless the next couple of nights. Gray is now 12-2 with a 2.78 ERA.
“I personally may lose a little bit of sleep over today, (but) we’ll be OK,” said Gray, per Speier. “As a team, we still have a chance to come out tomorrow and have a really good homestand and win a series.”
Not to be overlooked in the outing after all was Alec Gamboa. His work out of the bullpen was valuable. He worked the final four innings after Gray, saving the rest of the bullpen for Sunday. However, he also saved it for the upcoming West Coast trip.
Boston Red Sox Look To Win Series Against Blue Jays
Winners of eight straight going into the break, Boston has picked up right where it left off after it. They swept four games in three days over the Tampa Bay Rays. They then ran their winning streak to 15 games by winning the first two over the Baltimore Orioles.
Baltimore snapped their skid on Wednesday night. Boston has split the first two games against the Blue Jays. Winning the series won’t be easy. After Dylan Cease’s complete-game masterpiece on Saturday, Kevin Gausman will take the ball for Schneider on Sunday. He’ll be looking to raise his trade value before the Aug. 3 deadline.
During his time with the Red Sox, Gray has been very good. However, Saturday was one bump in the road. It happens, and he’ll move on to his next start later this week in California.
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