Sonny Gray, the newly acquired starter for the Boston Red Sox, did not enjoy his time with the New York Yankees. Gray hasn’t exactly hidden that he’s not a fan of playing in New York, but he took his hatred to another level during his introductory press conference with the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Gray immediately reignited the rivalry between him and Yankees fans, saying, “It makes me feel good to go to a place where it’s easy to hate the Yankees.”
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He later added: “I never wanted to go (to New York) in the first place.”
This should be music to any Red Sox fan’s ears.
While it’s not uncommon for some athletes to pander to their new fan base, that’s not the case for Gray. He has publicly explained on several occasions why he hated playing for the Yankees. In 2019, he said the team wanted him to prioritize slider throws, which Gray said didn’t suit his pitch mix. He blamed the team for throwing him.”spinning pitch ass” more often than he was comfortable with.
Gray’s discomfort in New York was reflected in his numbers. After an excellent start to his career in Oakland, Gray was dealt to New York at the 2017 MLB trade deadline. Although his ERA didn’t increase too much that first season, there were troubling signs beneath the surface. Gray’s strikeout rate dropped, his walk rate increased, and he started giving up a ton of home runs in the second half in New York.
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This hurt Gray greatly in 2018. The reduced strikeout rate and increased walk rate remained, and Gray posted a 4.90 ERA in 130 1/3 innings with the Yankees. He eventually lost his spot in the rotation and finished the year in the bullpen.
The Yankees had had enough by then, trading Gray to the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason. Gray immediately got his career back on track, making the All-Star Game in his first season with the Reds. Since then, Gray has generally performed like a starter at the top of the rotation. He has a 3.51 ERA since leaving the Yankees and has made two All-Star appearances. Gray even managed to finish second in Cy Young Award voting in 2023, while with the Minnesota Twins.
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Despite his age, Gray, 36, has aged gracefully. His reliance on throwing a ton of throws, many with different types of spin, has allowed him to avoid decline as he gets older. Despite a high 4.28 ERA last season, there were signs that Gray was unlucky and might show improvement in his first season with the Red Sox.
Boston obviously believes that to be the case, since it gave up two young pitchers acquire Gray in November. The franchise and its fans probably feel even better after Gray spent his first moments with his new club bashing its most hated rival.
