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Sonny Gray’s first start of the season was delayed due to an unfortunate hamstring injury. Subsequently, his St. Louis Cardinals debut had to wait until the series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Fans weren’t disappointed when he made his way back to the mound, even with a 65-pitch limit for his first start.
Gray looked to be in mid-season form. All of his pitches looked sharp, and his command was spot on. He pitched five innings, giving up no runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Additionally, he accomplished this while throwing only 64 pitches.
The Cardinals tallied one run in the fourth inning on a Nolan Gorman blast to centerfield. It turned out to be the only run they needed. However, they added two more insurance runs in the fifth with RBI’s from Brendan Donovan and Victor Scott II. The bullpen bent but didn’t break, pitching four scoreless innings securing Gray’s first win as a Cardinal.
Cardinals Finally Get a Number One Starter
Gray hit free agency after a dominant 2023 campaign with the Minnesota Twins. He finished as the runner-up to Gerrit Cole in the American League Cy Young award voting. Additionally, he earned his third career All-Star appearance.
The Cardinals signed Gray to a three year 75 million dollar contract with a club option for a fourth year. The option is valued at $30 million and comes with a five million dollar buyout. The deal is the first free agent contract of righty’s eleven years in the majors.
Cardinals Needed Gray’s Skill and Veteran Leadership
The Cardinals front office knew they had to rebuild the rotation for the 2024 season. A true top of the rotation starter was sorely needed, and honestly, they really needed two. They started out the off-season signing innings eaters Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to short contracts with options. The fans weren’t impressed, to say the least.
After a horrible 2023 season, it was obvious what the team sorely needed, and it was starting pitching. Most would agree that they needed two top of the rotation arms and an inning eater. Instead, they chose to do the opposite. Gray is definitely a welcomed addition to the club. He brings Cy Young caliber talent and veteran leadership. However, they probably need to add another top arm if they truly want to compete with the top teams in the National League.
