​Sonny Gray Joins Tim Wakefield in 50-Year Red Sox History originally appeared on NESN.
Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.It’s truly remarkable that the Boston Red Sox have gotten the contributions they have from multiple players over the past few months. While the Red Sox struggled to start the season, things would have been much uglier if players hadn’t stepped up. One guy who deserves all the credit in the world for keeping the Red Sox afloat throughout much of this campaign is Sonny Gray. The veteran right-hander, 36 years old, is 16-3 and has a 2.79 ERA. There haven’t been many starters in Major League Baseball better than Gray, as he’s given Boston a real opportunity in nearly every game he’s pitched.He’s also made some history along the way. Gray became the second Red Sox pitcher in the last 50 years to win at least 16 of his first 24 starts. The only other starter to do so was Tim Wakefield.“Sonny Gray (2026) and Tim Wakefield (1995) are the only pitchers in the last 50 years to win at least 16 of their first 24 starts with the Red Sox. Gray: 16-3, 2.79 ERA; Wakefield: 16-5, 2.71 ERA,” J.P. Long wrote.Gray has had some impressive seasons throughout his career, finishing top three in Cy Young voting twice and being an All-Star three times. However, he hasn’t been this good in pure win-loss numbers at any point in his career. ERA-wise, he’s also tied for the second-best in a season in which he’s had at least 11 starts.More Red SoxLatest Red Sox news2026 Red Sox schedule2026 Red Sox rosterComplete history of Red Sox championships