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The St. Louis Cardinals got a much-needed boost from starting pitcher Sonny Gray Friday night, as the veteran right-hander delivered a dazzling complete game shutout against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Gray’s masterclass on the mound was not only dominant, but historic—qualifying as a rare Maddux (a shutout completed with under 100 pitches).
From the first pitch, Gray was in complete control. The Cardinals starter retired the first 14 batters he faced and ultimately allowed just one hit in nine scoreless innings. He threw only 89 pitches—66 of them for strikes—and struck out 11 without issuing a single walk. It marked the fifth shutout of his career and first since 2015.
Speaking to Daniel Guerrero of STLToday, Gray reflected on how rare these performances have become in today’s game.
“It’s been few and far between. I did it a lot earlier in my career, and it’s been a while,” Gray said. “It is nice. I hadn’t thought about it. I try not to do too much, but at the same time, it is nice to be able to do that for sure.”
Gray also acknowledged how pitching trends have shifted since his earlier seasons.
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“You don’t know if you’ll be able to do it, especially the way the game has kind of gone,” Gray said after notching his 20th career double-digit strikeout game. “Especially with me. I don’t throw over 100 pitches very often… To be able to go out and throw nine innings and win the first game of a three-city road trip, overall we needed to come out and win.”
The Cardinals offense gave Gray early support, with Pedro Pages and Alec Burleson each hitting home runs off Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz in the third inning. Burleson’s two-run blast helped push St. Louis to a 3-0 lead, and they never looked back.
Statistically, Gray’s outing was one for the books. According to MLB records, he became the first pitcher in 125 years to throw a nine-inning shutout with no earned runs, no walks, one or fewer hits allowed, at least 11 strikeouts, and fewer than 90 pitches.
Beyond the numbers, the win helped the club improve to 45-38, gaining valuable ground in the NL Central standings. Gray, now 8-2 on the season with a 3.36 ERA, has looked like a frontline ace in recent weeks. In his last seven starts, he’s posted a surgical 2.06 ERA over 43.2 innings.
Meanwhile, the Guardians continued their offensive struggles. Nolan Jones had their only hit of the night, and the team has totaled just three hits over its last two games. A players-only meeting was reportedly held afterward to regroup.
For St. Louis, Friday night was more than just another win—it was a reminder of how dangerous they can be when an ace like Gray takes over. With the road trip just beginning, the timing of this elite Maddux performance could not have been better.
