Sonny Gray said he wanted to stay on the mound. Willson Contreras said the Red Sox needed more than data and computers to win games. Both veterans voiced frustration after Boston’s season ended with a 9–2 loss to the Yankees on September 30.
Gray was removed after 70 pitches. In postgame comments featured on Nothing Personal with David Samson, he said he wanted to continue. The Associated Press reported on his early exit.
“I would have liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that’s the competitor I am,” Gray said.
“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time,” he said. “I think that’s a fact.”
Gray held opponents to a .180 average in those situations, the best mark among qualified American League pitchers, according to MLB.
“I felt strong, I felt confident, I felt convicted,” Gray said.
Manager Chad Tracy said Boston’s difficulty scoring influenced his decision to go to the bullpen.
“We’re trailing. We’re struggling to score runs,” Tracy said. “You feel like you got to be aggressive and go.”
Discussing the comments on his show, Samson criticized the communication between Boston’s leadership and its players.
“A good front office would be able to explain to players why they’re making the choices they’re making, understanding that they may not agree with them,” he said.
Contreras declined to discuss the pitching change, making a lips-sealed gesture when asked about Gray’s departure. He offered a fuller response when the questions turned to analytics.
“It’s not enough when you have talent or you have data or you have, uh, computers that telling you what to do,” Contreras said.
“The data is here to help us,” he added, before saying the team also needed experience and veteran players to win games.
“There’s a lot of stuff that I would like to say, but I’ll stay like that.”
