It wasn’t the tidiest preseason for new Red Sox No. 2 starter Sonny Gray, who allowed two earned runs on at least three hits in each of his four Grapefruit League starts.
But as Gray and Red Sox manager Alex Cora have explained throughout camp, Gray doesn’t pitch to impress in spring training, he pitches to fine-tune and prepare for games that matter. And Sunday, the start of Opening Day week, Gray looked ready for the real thing. For six innings the 13-year MLB veteran carved up the Pirates by tallying nine strikeouts, one more than his combined total in his first three spring training games, with no walks, particularly promising after his four-walk start on March 17.
“I had no concerns, and I have no concerns,” Gray told reporters, including The Boston Globe, of his spring training stats. “I’ll be ready to go game two.”
Gray was most encouraged by his performance Sunday as he told reporters he had goosebumps again with meaningful games beginning very soon.
“I felt it today,” Gray said. “I get chills now (describing it). I felt it again. That’s what we’re always chasing.”
Gray’s next start will be Saturday at Cincinnati, where he pitched three seasons from 2019-21.
Red Sox choose No. 2 starting pitcher, and more spring training notes
Yoshida heating up
With preseason games winding down and the real thing just days away, it was encouraging to see Masataka Yoshida be the driving force in Sunday’s 6-3 Red Sox win over the Pirates.
Hitless in his first four Grapefruit League games – having missed nearly the entire Grapefruit League slate due to the World Baseball Classic – Yoshida went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and run scored. He gave Boston the lead in the top of the first and again in the eighth.
“It’s always good for the confidence,” Cora told reporters of Yoshida. “We know he can hit.”
Yoshida signed a five-year deal with the Red Sox ahead of the 2023 season, and hit .285 with a .775 OPS in 248 games over his first two seasons. He missed most of last year while rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, but hit .266 with a .696 OPS, 50 hits, 11 doubles, four home runs, 16 runs and 26 RBI in 55 games.
Yoshida shook off the rust down the stretch, though. In 20 September games, he went 24 for 72 (.333) with five doubles, a pair of home runs, 10 runs and 13 RBI. After striking out 19 times in 35 games between July and August, Yoshida only fanned five times in the last month of the season. In three postseason games, he went 4 for 7 with two RBI.
Boston Red Sox’s Mickey Gasper during batting practice before a baseball game against the Houston Astros Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Rising to the challenge
In the bottom of the eighth, Red Sox catcher Mickey Gasper challenged successfully twice in a three-pitch span to get Ryan Watson the strikes he deserved.
As a result, the Red Sox still had both of their allotted challenges remaining when righty Zack Kelly took the mound the following inning.
The new ABS system (Automatic Ball-Strike), which will make its MLB debut on Opening Day, allows the current pitcher, catcher or batter to challenge the umpire’s call. Teams are allotted two challenges per game. If a challenge is successful, the team retains the challenge. Upheld calls result in the loss of a challenge.
The Red Sox haven’t expressly forbidden pitchers from challenging, but they’re among teams that want catchers and hitters to be the ones making the call.
It was therefore surprising to see Kelly challenge. But not surprising to see the call upheld. At the end of spring training last year, the first with ABS tracking (in select ballparks), MLB revealed pitchers had only challenged successfully 41% of the time, compared to catchers’ 56%.
Two reminders of ABS’ strategic element followed. Kelly issued a pair of walks, bringing Billy Cook up to bat representing the tying run. Kelly’s second pitch, a 92.4 mph cutter at the very bottom of the inside corner of the zone, may not have been a called strike. But when Cook tapped his helmet, the hitter’s method of requesting a challenge, home-plate umpire Junior Valentine informed him the Pirates had none left.
Cook lined out to shortstop Andruw Monasterio on the next pitch to end the game.
What’s next
Cora, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and other team officials are planning to meet Monday to finalize the Opening Day roster.
The Red Sox are 13-14 with two Grapefruit League games left, coming against their Fort Myers neighbors, the Minnesota Twins, Monday (home) and Tuesday (away) at 1:05 p.m. ET.
After that, the Red Sox fly to Cincinnati for Opening Day on Thursday at 4:10 p.m.