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The St. Louis Cardinals took Game 1 of a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers with a dominant 11-4 win on Monday night. Not only was the offense on fire throughout the contest, but the pitchers were lighting up Detroit all night. Sonny Gray recently spoke about his performance on the mound and revealed his key to victory.
After finishing the game with a 0.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts through six innings, the Cardinals pitcher claimed that his aggressiveness against the Tigers played a crucial part in his team's win, according to Derrick Goold of St. Louis Today. Gray credited his ability to force early strikes against Detroit, which forced them to take a more defensive approach in the batter's box.
“Feel like I threw a lot of strikes early and kind of put them on the defensive and forced their hand with two strikes,” Gray said. “I felt calm, cool, under control.”
Sonny Gray also explained how he used his fastballs to get to his off-speed pitches to ultimately record strikes. His control played a key part in the Cardinals' win on Monday, as the 35-year-old pitcher was able to dictate ball placement and get the Tigers swinging.
“I tried to put it in a good spot, but also get back to my strength with that, get back to my strengths with what I do with those pitches in order to get to the curveball and to get to the sweeper and to get to something else that I throw,” Gray said. “Throwing my fastball in the right spot and with conviction. You do that enough, and you can force the hitter's hand to make a decision. If you're not putting that pitch in the right spot, you might not force their hand and make the decision on the stuff as much.”
It's been a stellar campaign for the three-time All-Star, as he's leading the way for the Cardinals, who are in second place in the NL Central. Through 56.0 innings pitched so far this season, Sonny Gray owns a 4.02 ERA and 1.125 WHIP while recording 61 strikeouts. He also has a 5-1 win-loss record in the 10 games he's started this year.
