Sonny Gray Struggles in Red Sox Debut as Garrett Crochet Shines on Opening Day

Gray's command issues contrast with Crochet's dominant outing, raising early concerns about Boston's rotation depth.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 3:52pm

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In his first start for the Boston Red Sox, veteran right-hander Sonny Gray struggled with his command and lasted just four innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk. This performance stood in stark contrast to that of Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox's ace, who delivered six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts to lead the team to a 3-0 victory on Opening Day.

Why it matters

The Red Sox brought in the 36-year-old Gray to provide stability and veteran leadership to their rotation, but his shaky debut raises questions about whether he can consistently deliver the type of steady, innings-eating performances the team needs from its mid-rotation starters. Crochet's dominant outing, on the other hand, reinforces his status as the team's ace and a key piece of their pitching staff.

The details

Gray labored through his outing, needing 80 pitches to get through just four innings. He allowed a leadoff solo home run in the third inning and an unearned run in the second after a throwing error by shortstop Trevor Story. Gray also misplayed a slow chopper in front of the mound, allowing another run to score. Despite the early struggles, Gray was able to settle in and retire five of the final six batters he faced.

  • On Saturday, March 29, 2026, Sonny Gray made his Red Sox debut.
  • On Thursday, March 28, 2026, Garrett Crochet delivered a dominant six-inning, eight-strikeout performance on Opening Day.

The players

Sonny Gray

A 36-year-old right-handed pitcher who the Red Sox acquired in the offseason to provide stability and veteran leadership to their rotation.

Garrett Crochet

The Red Sox's ace, who delivered a dominant six-inning, eight-strikeout performance on Opening Day.

Trevor Story

The Red Sox's shortstop, who committed a throwing error that led to an unearned run in Gray's outing.

Alex Cora

The manager of the Boston Red Sox.

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What they’re saying

“He did an amazing job. That last inning, (he) started with a walk and then he just found it back and finished strong, and gave us a chance for the offense to cash in.”

— Alex Cora, Manager, Boston Red Sox

“The first inning got a little carried away. They kind of jumped me early. Overall, I don't feel like I put us in a good position to win the game, if I'm being honest...I just put us in a pretty big hole early and we did our best to climb out of it. I just don't feel like I gave us a really good chance to win the game.”

— Sonny Gray, Pitcher, Boston Red Sox

“As soon as he hit it, I knew it was going to be a weird one. I went to field the ball. And as I fielded the ball, it was in my glove, but I never had it. And then I just saw him right in front of me and it (the ball) was kind of juggling in my glove. I just saw him in front of me, so I was like, OK, I'll just go tag him because I didn't feel like I had a grip on the ball where I could do like a little shovel pass to Narvi. So then I went to try to tag him and he just kind of dodged it and I just lost the ball.”

— Sonny Gray, Pitcher, Boston Red Sox

What’s next

The Red Sox will look for Sonny Gray to bounce back in his next start and provide more consistent, reliable innings as they aim to build on Garrett Crochet's strong Opening Day performance.

The takeaway

While Garrett Crochet's dominant outing on Opening Day reinforced his status as the Red Sox's ace, Sonny Gray's struggles in his debut raised early concerns about Boston's rotation depth and whether the veteran right-hander can consistently deliver the type of steady, innings-eating performances the team needs from its mid-rotation starters.