Welcome back to the Red Sox Beat Report newsletter. This week's edition was written by Henry Palattella.
CLEVELAND -- On Saturday afternoon, Sonny Gray ran on to the mound to face the Guardians at Progressive Field and heard a familiar voice in his ear.
On 45 occasions throughout Gray’s MLB career, Stephen Vogt was behind the dish helping guide him through his start.
This time, Vogt -- now serving as Cleveland's manager -- was on the top step of the third-base home dugout chirping Gray as he walked out onto the mound. And Gray responded with six brilliant innings in a blowout Boston win.
“I appreciated it,” Gray said after the game with a chuckle.
While this isn’t the first time Gray has faced Vogt as a manager (he tossed a one-hit shutout in Cleveland last July 27 with the Cardinals), it was still a moment that both of them cherished.
“It’s just fun to see him,” Vogt said before the start. “Obviously we go way back, and he’s somebody who is special and a good friend. I’d prefer if we missed him, but it’ll be fun to watch him pitch.”
There’s perhaps no one on the planet who knows Gray’s exploits on the diamond better than Vogt, as their 45 times working together represent the most Gray has with one catcher.
But that doesn’t mean that Gray is the same pitcher now that he was then. Far from it, actually.
When the two of them were shooting up through Oakland’s system over a decade ago, Gray had a blistering fastball and relied on his curveball and slider.
