Walk-hating Gray helps the Cardinals win a second straight series.
NEW YORK The effectiveness of Sonny Gray’s seven-pitch second inning and his nine-pitch third inning was greatly appreciated. The ace of the Cardinals was especially pleased with his mental toughness following an odd fifth inning that featured a wild pitch, a fielder’s mistake, and a home run on a fastball that was inches off the plate. Furthermore, he believed that his most crucial pitch of the afternoon was the sinker that caused Jeff McNeill to pop out to finish the sixth inning.
But what Gray detested, or perhaps more properly, detested with all his being, were the three walks he gave Mets hitters on Saturday during a 7-4 victory at Citi Field that guaranteed St. Louis another series win.
After striking out 23 batters in his first three starts of 2024, Gray, the pitcher to whom the Cardinals awarded a three-year, $75 million free-agent deal in November, entered the game on Saturday having walked just one. In Gray’s opinion, the three free passes he gave up on Saturday undid his quest for perfection, even if he struck out nine more Mets and pitched effectively enough to earn his third victory as a Cardinal in four starts.
After allowing four runs (one earned) on just four hits in six innings, Gray claimed he was so frustrated by the walks that he intended to review the situation over the next few days. Gray’s discomfort with the walks seemed, in some respects, like pointing out a little flaw in a piece of art, spotting a pimple on a supermodel, or griping that the pasta dish at a five-star restaurant was cooked with fettucine rather than linguine.