The Sonny Gray factor in Yankees vs. Red Sox tonight

Yankees fans are probably going to be revved up to taunt Sonny Gray, the former Yankees bust who is starting Game 2 for the Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Gray admitted he never felt comfortable in New York when he was with the Yankees. His pitching as a Yankee was the worst of his career and he couldn’t wait to get traded.

Now, the Red Sox need Gray to pitch well in a hostile environment with their season on the line.

Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, whose No. 52 was retired by the Yankees over the weekend, is working for NBC for the pregame coverage on Peacock and NBCSN. Sabathia said Gray is actually not a shrinking violet and welcomes the chance to keep the Red Sox from being eliminated.

“This is what he wants,” Sabathia said. “He’s been the guy all year for them. He has 18 wins. The last time he went out against (New York), he dealt against the Yankees, so he wouldn’t want it any other way then having all of the pressure on him.”

The last time he faced the Yankees on June 28, Gray threw 7 1/3 shutout innings at Fenway Park in an eventual 5-4, 10-inning Yankees victory.

Earlier that month in the Bronx, Gray was the winning pitcher in a 5-3 Red Sox victory. He allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Former MLB first baseman Eric Hosmer, also on the pregame show, said of Gray: “When you sign with the Boston Red Sox there is a type of atmosphere that you’re going to pitch in and experience. So, for Sonny Gray, this is a great situation because the pressure is on (Red Sox manager) Chad Tracy. He has a lot of options to go to in that bullpen, Garrett Crochet being one of them. If Sonny gets in trouble early, I think Boston is going to try and get creative with that bullpen.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.