The Boston Red Sox came into the offseason needing to add to their starting rotation. The pitching staff was a bit of an issue down the stretch for Boston, and it quickly added St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray in a big trade.
Gray played with the rival New York Yankees earlier in his career, but his time in the Bronx didn’t go well. As a result, there’s clearly been some disdain for the Yankees in Gray’s mind.
It didn’t take long for him to share this disdain after being traded to the Red Sox.
“It’s easy to go to a place now where it’s easy to hate the Yankees,” Gray said during his media introduction on MLB Network.
Gray didn’t hold any punches as he spoke about his former team. During Gray’s two years with the Yankees, he held a 4.51 ERA across 34 starts. That’s the highest ERA among the five teams he’s played for in his big league career.
“I never wanted to go there in the first place,” Gray later added.
The Red Sox were bounced from the postseason by the Yankees this year. The Red Sox will play host to the Yankees in late April, which could be Gray’s first chance to pitch on Boston’s side of the rivalry.
Gray put together two solid starts against the Red Sox as a member of the Yankees in 2017. In 2018, he was shelled in his two starts against Boston. He later appeared in relief against Boston before leaving the Yankees after the season.
More MLB: Mets Predicted To Sign $182 Million Slugger After Devin Williams Addition