Sonny Gray's Cardinals Legacy: Strikeouts, Pouring into Pitchers

ST. LOUIS – A legacy for an MLB pitcher, Sonny Gray reminded again on Saturday while back at Busch Stadium, is about so much more than simply wins and losses, strikeouts and walks and no-hit bids and shaky outings.

Gray’s legacy in St. Louis, one interrupted in November when he was dealt by the Cardinals to the Red Sox, will undoubtedly be highlighted by him being the first pitcher in the rich history of the Cardinals to strike out at least 200 batters in his first two seasons with the club. Though those two teams missed the playoffs, Gray was bright spot with how serious he took his role as a top-of-the-rotation stopper for the Cards.

An often-overlooked facet of Gray’s legacy is also how he poured into other Cardinals’ pitchers and taught them how he attacks hitters and how he’s managed to pitch in the big leagues for 14 seasons for the Athletics, Yankees, Reds, Twins, Cardinals and now Red Sox. He helped others on the staff interpret the data he obtained from obsessively studying his own outings, and that wisdom made former teammates Matthew Liberatore and Kyle Leahy better pitchers long after Gray had departed.

Leaving that kind of legacy, Gray said, makes him the happiest about his two seasons spent with the Cardinals.

“They also provided a lot for me as well,” admitted Gray, who was 27-17 with a 4.07 ERA and 404 strikeouts in 347 innings in his two seasons with the Cardinals. “It was a good relationship with those guys, and it was never for a lack of commitment. I appreciate (Cardinals’ pitchers speaking highly of Gray), but I just tried to be myself. I enjoy helping out in ways that I can and forming those relationships. You spend so much time together that you build relationships and you have impacts on people. You want (the relationships) to be as positive as possible.”

Gray already having big impact with Reds Sox

Gray, 36, has made just three starts with the Red Sox, but manager Alex Cora said one thing he has loved the most about having the veteran pitcher on the Boston staff is the influence he has had on others on the pitching staff.

“He prepares and there’s Plan A, Plan B and Plan C and maybe more than that with him,” Cora said of Gray, who is 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his first three starts with the Red Sox. “He’s a guy who has been very successful in this league every five days. Now, I have a pretty good idea what to expect from him. He’s a great competitor who has a lot of information, and he shares that information well, which is important. Everybody is on the same page with him every five day

Sonny Gray is off to a strong start with the Red Sox, going 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his first two games with Boston. He has limited foes to a .206 batting average so far. -- Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Gray, who finished runner-up for the American League Cy Young award in 2023, signed a three-year, $75 million free-agent deal with the Cardinals before the 2024 season with the expectation that he would be pitching deep into the playoffs. However, that never materialized when veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado experienced major drop-offs in production, and younger players Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman struggled to find their footing at the big-league level. Gray said he won’t let that lack of team success cloud the judgement of his time in St. Louis.

“Time will tell (on his feelings for the Cards), but I did enjoy my time here and it may have just been bad timing in terms of the direction the organization was heading toward,” Gray said. “The first year (2024) maybe we tried to add some pieces. Then, last year, we thought maybe we could do something. Great organization, great city, but maybe bad timing.”

In possession of a no-trade clause in his contract, Gray initially wanted nothing to do with leaving St. Louis. But once president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom spelled out his plan to deal as many veterans as he could for prospects and young players, Gray opened up to the idea of joining the Red Sox so he might contend for the World Series ring that has eluded him for 14 years.

“I understand that (rebuilding) direction, and I wish nothing but the best for the Cardinals,” he said while applying a curveball grip on the baseball that usually always fills his hands whether he’s pitching that day or not. “So, we’ll see what happens (with the rebuilding project).”

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