Sonny Gray joins 2,000-strikeout club in showcase against Yankees

Red Sox Sonny Gray tosses 2,000th strikeout
Red Sox Sonny Gray tosses 2,000th strikeoutSteven Senne / CTK / AP

Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray recorded his 2,000th career strikeout during an eight-inning shutout start against the New York Yankees on Sunday.

Gray, 36, rung up Spencer Jones on a nasty sweeper to become just the 92nd pitcher in MLB history to reach the milestone.

The veteran pitcher carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, but gave up a single to Ahmed Rosario before being left on the mound to finish out the inning. 

Gray finished the night with a one-hit shutout, nine strikeouts, one walk, and a massive standing ovation from the Boston faithful. 

Boston acquired Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the season. Since then, he's been lights out. Following Sunday's outing, Gray is 9-1 with a 2.69 earned run average through 15 starts.

He has 75 strikeouts to 71 hits, boasting a 1.11 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .231, while only giving up more than three runs just once this season (5 vs. Minnesota Twins). 

The three-time All-Star spent the first four-and-a-half seasons with the Athletics before they traded him to the New York Yankees, ironically enough, who kept him around for just one more year before he joined the Cincinnati Reds for the next three years, the Twins for the following two, then the Cardinals (2024-2025). 

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