ST. LOUIS -- Limiting the Dodgers to one hit over seven hits in Los Angeles earlier in the week was nice, and Sonny Gray admitted that he definitely wanted to pitch well against the rival Cubs on Sunday Night Baseball with friends and family back home watching him pitch.
But the accomplishment that he was the proudest of after the Cardinals’ 3-2 series-clinching win over the Cubs, another likely playoff-bound foe, was this: St. Louis is a Major League-best 18-6 this season when Gray takes the mound.
“At the beginning of the season, I was thinking what do I want out of [2025]? And I do remember saying, ‘I want to win the games that I pitch, that I start,’” said Gray, who moved ahead of the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal and Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez for best team record among starters with at least 20 starts. “There’s been a ton of games where [teammates] have picked me up where I may have had an ugly start. I’m just appreciative of everyone showing up, playing and busting it for that day.
“That [18-6 team record] is probably my favorite thing thus far this year.”
By holding the Cubs to five hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk with seven strikeouts over seven innings, Gray won at Busch Stadium for the 17th time in the past two seasons -- a number that trails only Skubal’s 18 wins in Detroit. Additionally, the Cardinals are 13-2 in Gray’s 15 starts at home. Of course, St. Louis is 11 games under .500 when anyone else pitches (42-53), meaning Gray has almost single-handedly kept the Cards on the fringes of the race for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
“He’s been consistent for us, but it goes back to his overall mentality and approach to his game,” said manager Oliver Marmol, whose club pulled within 3 1/2 games of the Mets -- losers of seven straight -- for the final Wild Card spot. “In between starts, it’s a real routine that leads to consistency [for Gray]. There’s an attention to detail and a purpose behind everything he does. He’s very consistent with the days in between and once it’s his day to go, man he’s ready. It’s been fun to watch, and he gives us a shot almost every time out.”
A stickler for his routine -- usually even down to the minute with a planned drill -- Gray has had to learn how to be more flexible this season because of the often-unpredictable weather in St. Louis. Heavy storms hit the area on Sunday afternoon, wiping out the team’s planned batting practice and Gray’s extensive warmup routine. Instead of stewing about the delays, he said watching the dramatic finish to Sunday’s final round PGA Tour event along with several teammates distracted his focus and helped him keep from getting anxious about his disrupted schedule.
“It was a weird day in the clubhouse because everyone got here early to do things on the field, and then everyone is walking around and looking at the tarp on the field, but we did get to watch the golf,” said Gray of the 53-minute delayed start time. “I’m starting to learn how to do these rain delays a little better, fortunately or unfortunately. At first, I let them consume me and think, ‘This is messed up.’ But the more it’s happened, I’ve realized, ‘I can’t control this.’ So, I had to find a way that works.”
Gray got a big lift from his catcher, Pedro Pagés, who hit a two-run homer in the third inning and threw out pinch-runner Jon Berti in the ninth inning.
“Man, I’m just competing and trying to get back into the box and get in the mindset of competing and not think so much about mechanics,” said Pagés, who now has eight home runs. “I dove into [hitting mechanics] a lot this year and it hasn’t benefitted me. So I just talked to the hitting [coaches] about, ‘Hey, I just want to compete. Forget about everything and just compete and put good at bats together. I’m glad that some good is coming out of it, and I want to keep going.”
Pagés also thinks Gray can keep his success going because of his focus and dedication to his preparation.
“His routine is amazing and every day that he goes about his business, it has a meaning and a purpose,” Pagés said. “The way it builds up to his next start, it’s amazing. It’s something he’s done over his career and it helps him.”