BOSTON, MA — In his first public comments since being traded to the Boston Red Sox, veteran pitcher Sonny Gray spoke about his challenging tenure with the New York Yankees with a level of unfiltered honesty that has instantly gripped the attention of the baseball world.
Gray’s reflection, delivered during his introductory press conference with the Red Sox, revealed the intense private struggle he carried while the New York spotlight burned brightest, prompting fans to re-evaluate the entire era through a new, more sympathetic lens.
The Honest Confession: A Lack of Fit
Gray, who struggled to a disappointing $4.51$ ERA over parts of two seasons in the Bronx (2017-2018), opened up about the emotional and strategic reasons his time there failed:
- “I Never Wanted To Go There”: The most shocking admission was that he “never wanted to go there in the first place” when the Oakland A’s traded him to New York at the 2017 deadline. He added that the move “just didn’t really work for who I am” and wasn’t a great setup for him or his family. This contradicted his initial excited comments upon joining the Yankees, suggesting the pressure and disappointment led to a profound reassessment.
- The Strategic Struggle: He revealed the Yankees insisted he change his pitching style, primarily by forcing him to throw a high volume of a “sty” slider* he couldn’t command effectively. His strength has always been his curveball and sinker; the mandate to change his successful mix created a lack of confidence and command.
- “I Didn’t Feel Like I Was Allowed to Be Myself”: This line is the most reflective. Gray felt that the organizational expectations forced him into a rigid box, stifling his ability to pitch intuitively and rely on the instincts that had made him an All-Star.
Resentment vs. Reflection: The Lessons Learned
What truly surprised fans was how reflective—not resentful— Gray sounded when acknowledging the positive impact of the struggles.
“I do appreciate my time [in New York],” Gray said. “I do feel like the last seven years of my career, my life and everything, I’ve been a better baseball player, husband, everything from having that experience and going through that.”1
The pressure of the Yankees, the demands of the media, and the intensity of a high-stakes club forced him to grow both professionally and personally. He took those tough lessons to Cincinnati, Minnesota, and St. Louis, where he thrived, including a Cy Young runner-up finish in 2023.
Embracing the Rivalry
Gray wasted no time endearing himself to his new fanbase, leaning directly into the historic rivalry with the unfiltered comment:
“It feels good to me to go to a place now where, you know what, it’s easy to hate the Yankees, right? It’s easy to go out and have that rivalry and go into it with full force, full steam ahead. I like the challenge.”
The comments have successfully reset the narrative around his career. His struggles are now viewed less as a failure of ability and more as a mismatch of philosophy and environment, proving that the New York experience, however painful, was an essential catalyst for the success he found elsewhere.
