The Houston Astros made merry off of former New York Yankees RHP Sonny Gray’s poor pitching in a 9-1 rout over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday afternoon.
A Torrid Streak No More for Former Yankees Star Pitcher
Gray lasted five innings and let Jose Abreu send a deep ball to left field in the first inning before giving up a second home run to Alex Bregman at the top of the fifth that led to him being pulled shortly after.
On the day, Gray posted a 4.00 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk. He let the Astros catch fire and they never looked back as they took a 2-1 lead in their American League Division Series.
Abreu snapped Gray’s streak of 675 sweepers thrown without giving up a home run dating back to 2022, according to Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Coincidentally, Abreu was also the first hitter to kick off Gray’s eventful streak as a member of the Chicago White Sox.
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Gray’s Postseason Resume Takes a Hit
Tuesday told a different story on the scoreboard from Gray’s 2-0 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in their AL Wild Card matchup on Oct. 4.
Gray put together an All-Star campaign in the 2023 regular season with a league-leading 2.83 FIP and 154 ERA+. His name has been synonymous with efficient pitching in the regular season. However, the loss to the Astros drops Gray to 1-3 in postseason play and marks the most home runs he’s conceded in a playoff game.
Thankfully the Yankees have a strong pitching staff that doesn’t have them lamenting about Gray’s departure from the team back in 2018. Despite his down performance in Game 3, he’ll look to bounce back should Minnesota storm back in the series.
The Twins look to even the series at home against the Astros tonight in a pivotal Game 4 that can make or break their championship hopes.