After Monday’s series opener against the Brewers, the Red Sox were searching for answers. At 2-8 to start the season and riding a three-game skid, Boston looked like a team already on its heels, struggling to find any sort of rhythm.
But over the next two nights, the tone shifted in favor of the Red Sox. Behind a dominant outing from Garrett Crochet on Tuesday and a vintage performance from veteran Sonny Gray in the finale, the Red Sox responded with back-to-back strong pitching efforts. Gray’s gem powered Boston to a 5-0 win at Fenway Park, securing the club’s first series victory of the season and offering a much-needed reset.
Boston will have an off day on Thursday before traveling to St. Louis for a three-game weekend series against the Cardinals.
Gray led the way in the series finale, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless innings while holding the Brewers to just three hits and two walks, striking out two.
“I was just thinking happy flight, happy flight, happy flight. You want to win on getaway day,” Gray said following the win. “I watched (Garrett Crochet) last night and the game was over and it was like ‘ok it’s my turn to go out there and keep it going.’”
One of the Red Sox’ calling cards entering the season was their pitching. On paper, Boston assembled one of the league’s strongest rotations, but that hasn’t translated into results early in 2026.
Crochet and Gray have been the exceptions. The ace delivered Tuesday night, throwing 107 pitches over 6 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking two.
“That’s why we call him Beast. He’s our ace,” said shortstop Trevor Story. “He went out there and did what he always does and set the tone from pitch one, attacking. And he stopped it, right where we needed to stop it. We needed this win tonight and we got it, thanks to Beast.”
Gray opened the season on shaky footing, needing 35 pitches in the first inning against the Reds and setting the tone for a rough debut. He lasted just four innings, allowing three earned runs with one walk and five strikeouts on 80 pitches (51 strikes).
It was a stark contrast to Crochet, who led the Red Sox to a 3-0 win on Opening Day.
Boston doesn’t need Gray to be Crochet; they need him to be the steady workhorse he’s been, logging 184, 166 1/3, and 180 2/3 innings over the past three seasons. The 36-year-old has since settled in, delivering back-to-back effective starts and earning wins in both outings.
Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick led off with a ground-rule double off Gray, but the veteran settled in quickly, retiring the next three batters with a strikeout and two groundouts.
Gray navigated minor traffic in the second after allowing a single to Brandon Lockridge, then worked around another jam in the third when Garrett Mitchell walked and Christian Yelich singled. He escaped by striking out Jake Bauers swinging.
That punchout sparked a dominant stretch, as Gray retired 10 straight Brewers hitters.
He followed with three consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, fifth, and sixth before being lifted in the seventh. After walking Gary Sánchez and getting Luis Rengifo to ground out, Alex Cora turned to Greg Weissert out of the bullpen.
“He was dealing today,” Carlos Narvaez said of Gray’s performance Wednesday afternoon. “We know we had a really good lineup over there, they’re going to put the ball in play, they’re trying to run, trying to bunt, trying to do small baseball, but a lot of weak contact. It was amazing.”
Before heading out for the seventh, Gray sat at 78 pitches and told Cora he had more left in the tank.
“I just said I have another zero in me if you need it,” Gray recalled. “I didn’t know where the bullpen was at, but I told him, ‘I’ve got another one if you need it.’ He asked if I was sure, and I said yes.”
Gray ultimately exited to a standing ovation, tipping his cap as he walked off the mound. While he appreciated the moment, he admitted he had his sights set on going even deeper.
“I want to come off and then Sweet Caroline starts playing,” Gray said. “So that’s something I’m looking forward to doing at some point,” he added.
Here’s the moment from earlier in the game when Sonny Gray seemed to talk Alex Cora into giving him another inning.
Just what you want to see from one of the veterans helping lead this rotation. pic.twitter.com/MFE3vpXjxR
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 8, 2026
Boston’s bullpen was equally sharp. Weissert, who’s lived on the edge at times this season, delivered 2/3 of an inning, allowing one hit while striking out two and keeping the ball in the yard.
Rookie Tyler Samaniego made his major league debut with a
