The Boston Red Sox’s 2026 season came to a humiliating end on Wednesday, September 30, with a 9-2 loss to the New York Yankees, as their arch rivals completed a two-game sweep in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series.
But if you ask Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray, it didn’t have to be like that.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy pulled Gray, 36, from the game after just 70 pitches and only two runs allowed before the floodgates opened and the Yankees coasted to a second straight blowout win.
“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order a third time,” Gray told the media after the game. “I think that’s a fact. I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment.”
Gray had allowed only a solo home run to Luis Garcia Jr. in the 4th inning and an RBI single to Cody Bellinger one inning later. After his exit, the Yankees took advantage of a dropped third strike to start the 6th, stringing hits together and ultimately taking control of the game with a six-run inning.
“I felt good. I felt crisp. I felt sharp,” Gray continued. “I think I got clipped for a solo home run and then some singles, but I felt like I stayed on the attack throughout. I’m frustrated, for sure. You know, not ready for it to end. A lot of emotions.”
The veteran starting pitcher wasn’t the only one in the Red Sox clubhouse to feel that way.
“It’s not enough when you have talent or you have data or you have computers that’s telling you what to do, because this is baseball,” Boston slugger Willson Contreras said. “The data is here to help us, but at the end of the day you are going to have to need experience and veteran guys to win games.”
Tracy, 46, was asked about his decision to pull Gray after the game, noting the importance of trying to keep the Yankees at two runs as Boston’s offense struggled.
“When you get in spots where you’re struggling to score runs and you’re already trailing, you feel like you’ve got to be aggressive and go,” he said.
Now, the Red Sox head home for a longer offseason than they hoped. But after a dreadful start to the season and a historic 32-5 stretch over the summer that put them back in contention, the team can take pride in what it achieved.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished,” Gray said. “We were left for dead there for a while.”
The Yankees now advance to the American League Division Series, where they will face their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays. Game 1 of the best-of-five series will take place Saturday, October 3 in Tampa.
