Gray closes out terrific season, notches 200th K

CINCINNATI -- Sonny Gray didn’t have a winning final start of 2019 for the Reds. In no way did it tarnish a very successful bounce-back season, his first with Cincinnati.

Gray was unable to hold on to a first-inning lead as the Reds were handed a 4-2 loss by the Brewers on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.

“To finish the season and to throw the ball the way [I did], it’s definitely overwhelming with emotions. It’s a satisfying feeling,” Gray said.

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Before the game, Reds manager David Bell let it be known that Gray wouldn’t be taking his next turn in the rotation for Sunday’s season finale at Pittsburgh and will instead make the game a bullpen day.

Gray pitched five innings and gave up three runs, three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He extended his Major League record with a 33rd consecutive start of allowing six hits or less. (That includes 2018 with the Yankees and excludes others pitchers used as openers.)

The game’s first strikeout, which came in the first inning against leadoff batter Trent Grisham, gave Gray 200 for the season.

“It meant a lot,” Gray said. “Just coming from where I was to where I am, it’s a good feeling. I know we lost and everything. ... I hate to lose, but looking back, it was quite the ride for me this year.”

In the top of the second with a 2-0 lead, Gray’s 0-2 slider to Ryan Braun was crushed for a solo home run to center field.

During a third-inning Brewers rally, Gray began to labor. He walked Grisham with one on and one out after having the outfielder in a 2-2 count. Yasmani Grandal ripped an RBI double to even the game, and following Mike Moustakas’ walk, Keston Hiura lifted a sacrifice fly to right field for the go-ahead run.

After Hiura's sac fly, Gray settled down to retire seven in a row.

Going into the game, Bell and pitching coach Derek Johnson could see that Gray didn’t have his best stuff.

“If that's what he looks like when he doesn't have it? It's still pretty good,” Bell said with a laugh. “I think we just felt like it wasn't going to be his best night.”

In 31 starts overall, Gray ended the season with an 11-8 record, a 2.87 ERA and 205 strikeouts over 175 1/3 innings, and he became an All-Star for the first time. Despite reaching a new career high in strikeouts, the 29-year-old right-hander was less interested in his final numbers than he was about his overall feeling of finding himself again.

“Honestly, the one thing is just enjoying the game and loving the game again,” Gray said. “Just getting excited for your turn to pitch and truly looking forward to it and having fun with it. I think just getting back to being myself and going out there and competing, it’s a fun game.”

Following a mostly successful five seasons for the A’s, where he was 44-36 with a 3.42 ERA, Gray struggled as a member of the Yankees. In 41 games and 34 starts in 2017-18, he went 15-16 with a 4.51 ERA. Often the focus of scorn from New York fans that demanded more, Gray found himself out of favor with the club, and at times was out of its rotation.

The Reds acquired Gray from the Yankees in a Jan. 21 trade, and immediately signed him to a three-year, $30.5 million extension that runs through 2022, with a club option for ‘23. It’s proven to be one of the best deals of the offseason, as few outside the organization predicted this type of season for the right-hander.

“There was a lot of excitement about trying to acquire him because we believed he was capable of this,” Bell said. “So many things have to go right for that to actually happen. Just because we knew it was possible doesn’t mean it would happen that quick. He’s done so much to make that happen.”

Gray gave credit for his turnaround to Johnson and assistant pitching coach Caleb Cotham. Johnson was Gray's college pitching coach at Vanderbilt and Gray viewed him as a father figure.

“I just had to grow up and come to the realization of, 'How do I get better?'" Gray said. "Getting traded here and coming here with D.J., I can’t think of a better direct move for me. The bond between me and him goes deeper than you can even imagine.

“He truly taught me how to pitch, twice. Going to Vanderbilt, he taught me how to pitch. Then you go through your professional career, you have success and then you hit a roadblock and you say, ‘Now what?’ Getting back with him, he taught me all the things I already knew, but he just reminded me.”

After spending last offseason overhauling their rotation, the Reds know they have a formidable top four in Gray, ace Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer and Anthony DeSclafani.

“It's been fun to watch someone -- even at his age -- develop like he has and turn himself into one of the best in the game,” Bell said. “So it's great knowing that going into next year we have him as part of our rotation.”