Boston Red Sox at Pittsburgh Pirates

As a stat, pitching wins aren’t as indicative as they once were in baseball. But there are exceptions. And Sonny Gray is proof of that in this, his first season with the Red Sox. When the 36-year-old righty notched his career-high 15th victory on Saturday night while leading his club to a 4-0 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park, it was the latest example of the master craftsman delivering for his team in a big spot. Gray (15-3, 2.65 ERA), working with a new batterymate for the first time in Trade Deadline acquisition Adley Rutschman, was in complete command, staving off the Bucs on a night Boston’s bats had trouble getting going. Over seven scoreless innings, Gray scattered six hits while walking one and striking out seven. “Yeah, put up all zeroes,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “We needed length bad. He gave us length. A familiar story in a spot where we really needed it, and he gave it to us.” On the heels of a 27-3 run -- the best 30-game stretch in Red Sox history -- Tracy’s team entered Saturday in a 1-6 skid. With Gray’s outing the official start of the countdown for Boston’s final 40 games of the season, the Red Sox had no interest in reverting to their early-season struggles. Garrett Crochet, the ace who all but willed the Red Sox to their first postseason appearance since 2021 last season, has missed most of this one with left shoulder inflammation. That has thrust Gray into the role of stopper, and he has been up to every bit of the challenge for the Sox (66-57). “I'm just trying to be myself. I'm not trying to be anyone other than who I am,” said Gray. “Obviously, Garrett is very missed. I mean, he’s an electric guy, just his personality. He's a dude, right? I do know, there's moments like tonight, when you need to go out and win a baseball game." Staked to a 1-0 lead on Wilyer Abreu's solo shot in the second, Gray stingily made sure it stood up. Abreu later added two doubles.