Sonny Gray’s debut with the Red Sox was one he’d likely prefer to forget. Facing his former team, the Cincinnati Reds, Gray's outing ended in a no-decision during Boston’s narrow 6-5 loss. The seasoned pitcher, now in his 14th MLB season, managed just four innings, throwing 80 pitches before being pulled.
Right from the start, Gray faced challenges. In his first inning, he gave up two runs, putting Boston in an early hole. With 35 pitches thrown in that inning alone, it was clear the bullpen would be called into action sooner than anticipated.
The struggles continued as Gray allowed solo runs in both the second and third innings. Reds first baseman Sal Stewart took advantage of a hanging sinker, launching a solo homer on Gray’s first pitch in the third, extending the Reds' lead to 4-1.
Reflecting on his performance, Gray was candid about his struggles. “I just don’t feel like I put us in a good position to win the game,” he admitted.
“I put us in a pretty big hole early, and we did our best to climb out of it. But we just came up a little short.”
Manager Alex Cora, however, didn’t dwell too much on Gray’s rough start. He noted that the defense could have been sharper and praised Gray for settling in after the rocky first inning, even though his outing was brief.
“He finished strong,” Cora remarked. “The Reds didn’t chase much today, but they didn’t hit the ball hard either.
It’s a learning process.”
Greg Weissert took over in the fifth, but not without hiccups of his own, allowing a leadoff homer to Elly De La Cruz, which put Boston down by four. However, the bullpen shone brightly after that. Danny Coulombe and Ryan Watson delivered scoreless frames, followed by Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock, who kept the Reds at bay through the ninth and tenth innings.
Gray was quick to commend his bullpen teammates for their stellar performances, saying, “After I was done, I was proud to see how everyone continued to fight. The bullpen did an incredible job. They gave us a chance.”
Despite the bullpen’s efforts, the game slipped away in the 11th inning when Justin Slaten allowed a walk-off hit to Reds center fielder Dane Myers. The Red Sox never managed to take the lead during the game, though Wilyer Abreu's home run in the ninth did bring them level temporarily.
Gray’s debut might not have been the dream start he hoped for, but with the bullpen’s impressive showing, there’s a silver lining for Boston as they look ahead.