The St. Louis Cardinals weren't supposed to contend for the postseason this year, but they're 3.5 games out of a playoff spot as of August 11. Veteran pitcher Sonny Gray is a major reason why.

The Cardinals are 18-6 in his starts this year — a Major League best record among pitchers with at least 20 starts. He passed Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) and Cristopher Sánchez  (Philadelphia Phillies) for the best mark in the league with his most recent triumph, a seven-inning, two-run performance in a win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

“At the beginning of the season, I was thinking what do I want out of [2025]? And I do remember saying, ‘I want to win the games that I pitch, that I start,” he said, per John Denton of MLB.com. “There’s been a ton of games where [teammates] have picked me up where I may have had an ugly start. I’m just appreciative of everyone showing up, playing and busting it for that day. That [18-6 team record] is probably my favorite thing thus far this year.”

Gray, pitching in his age 35 season, has a pedestrian 4.05 ERA, but that only tells part of the story. His 3.11 FIP indicates he's getting a little unlucky. Meanwhile, he's walking a league-best 1.5 batters per nine innings for a 4.0 percent walk rate. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is also tops in baseball at 6.73, thanks to his perfectly fine 26.8 percent strikeout rate.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised Gray's mentality and approach this season.

“In between starts, it’s a real routine that leads to consistency [for Gray]. There’s an attention to detail and a purpose behind everything he does,” Marmol said. “He’s very consistent with the days in between and once it’s his day to go, man he’s ready. It’s been fun to watch, and he gives us a shot almost every time out.”

After taking two out of three from the Cubs over the weekend, St. Louis now has back-to-back massive series wins. They also took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. Next up, they face the lowly Colorado Rockies with a chance to creep even closer to the playoff picture.

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