The Boston Red Sox’s season is over. With two blowout losses to the New York Yankees in the American League wild card series, they were swept out of the playoffs and now will look towards 2027. Plenty of moments stood out in the loss, specifically when Sonny Gray was pulled in favor of Garrett Crochet, which resulted in the Yankees blowing the game open.
However, some fans on social media took it a step further, suggesting that when the right-hander tapped his neck before throwing a pitch during the game, he had a substance there and was trying to doctor the baseball.
However, neither the umpires, nor the Yankees seemed to take any issue with it. On Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic appeared on Foul Territory and shared that he doesn’t think it’s a big deal.
“That is something the umpires would have needed to catch and address, and they did not, so I don’t know that retroactively, MLB is going to step in simply by looking at video when you can’t touch Sonny Gray’s neck anymore and see what’s going on,” Rosenthal said.
“I know what the videos look like, I know we live in a conspiratorial kind of society right now where we all think something’s up all the time. But if the umps didn’t flag it, the Yankees didn’t flag it, I think we’ve got kind of a non-issue.”
– @Ken_Rosenthal on the speculation about a substance on Sonny Gray’s neck.
Ken Rosenthal Doesn’t Believe Sonny Gray Substance Rumors
In this day and age, umpires are all over pitchers who use substances. They have been cracking down on that for several years now, so in truth, if they thought there was an issue, they likely would have flagged it and checked Gray. It’s important too to remember that ever since the league cracked down on spider tack and other substances, umpires have been checking pitchers as they walk off the mound each inning.
The Yankees likely would have noticed as well, and at no point did they suggest that there was something off about what Gray was doing or ask the umpires to check him.
Even if there was a concern at all during last night’s game, it’s too late for the league to do anything to punish Gray. The Red Sox lost the game and are eliminated, and Gray has even hinted at retirement at the end of this season, so there isn’t anything that can really be done about it.
Sonny Gray’s Future With Boston Red Sox
Gray was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in November to stabilize the Red Sox’s rotation. In 29 starts, the 36-year-old veteran went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA over 169 innings of work. The right-hander also struck out 149 batters and posted a 4.3 WAR.
If this is the end for Gray, he at least will finish his career on a high note, having posted one of the best seasons of his career. It will be interesting to see if he decides to keep pitching or chooses to retire once the postseason comes to an end.
Insider Weighs in on Red Sox, Sonny Gray Substance Speculation