Sonny Gray Faces Sticky-Substance Claims After 70-Pitch Red Sox Playoff Start

Q: Will this controversial and abrupt playoff exit mark the bitter end of Sonny Gray's remarkable comeback season in Boston?

Probably not — but it very likely was the end of his time in Boston. Gray’s playoff exit was abrupt, controversial and emotionally sour, yet the larger evidence points away from this being the end of his career. After the loss, he said he has “a lot of baseball left in me,” even while admitting he does not know what the future holds. That matters more than the social-media speculation about a possible sticky substance, which remains unproven and drew no in-game inspection or official finding from umpires. What makes the moment feel final is the context. Gray is 36, has openly hinted that retirement is under consideration, and sounded deeply frustrated after being pulled in the fifth inning at just 70 pitches. He believed he should have stayed in, and Boston’s bullpen collapse only sharpened that frustration. He also indicated he likely will not be back with the Red Sox next season. Still, it would be reductive to let one messy October night define his season. Gray went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 149 strikeouts over 169 innings, delivering one of the best seasons by a Boston starter in years and playing a central role in the club’s turnaround from 32-46 to a playoff berth. That profile is of a pitcher who can still help a contender. The most reasonable reading is that this was not the bitter end of Gray’s comeback season so much as a bitter ending to it — and quite possibly his last appearance for Boston, not necessarily for baseball.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 1

Images from the fifth inning of Sonny Gray’s Game 2 outing sent social media into a cheating uproar after a visible substance appeared on the back of his neck.
Fans and Jomboy pointed to possible pine tar or other “sticky stuff,” though the substance was not clearly visible earlier in the start and Gray has frequently touched his neck all season.
Gray did not address the mark in his postgame comments, and umpires never flagged him despite routine between-inning checks before Boston pulled him at 70 pitches.
The allegations landed as the Red Sox exited the playoffs against the Yankees, adding another controversy to what the report described as a sour first-round finish.