ST. LOUIS, MO – St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray delivered a pitching masterpiece, showcasing pinpoint control and devastating stuff as he tossed an 89-pitch “Maddux”, dominating his opponents in a near-perfect performance.
Gray’s stat line for the game was simply phenomenal: 9 innings pitched, surrendering just 1 hit, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, and striking out 11 batters. This level of efficiency and command is a testament to his elite skill, achieving the rare “Maddux” (a complete game shut-out on under 100 pitches) with significant ease.
What made Gray’s gem even more captivating was a striking detail revealed after the game: the one time he shook off his catcher, Pedro Pages, was the exact pitch he gave up his only hit. This ironic twist highlights Pages’ brilliant game-calling and Gray’s near-perfect execution when trusting his backstop. As Josh Jacobs of @joshjaco98 tweeted, “Sonny Gray, when asked about carrying a perfect game into the 5th, the one time he shook off Pedro Pages all game was the pitch he gave up his only hit. Massive props to Pages for calling an incredible game.”
Gray carried a perfect game deep into the 5th inning before that lone hit broke the spell, but it did little to diminish the brilliance of his outing. This performance not only added a significant win for the Cardinals but also firmly cemented Gray’s status as one of the league’s most effective and efficient pitchers.