St. Louis Cardinals' Ace Ties Team History Through First Nine Starts

The St. Louis Cardinals are certainly disappointing this season, but starting pitcher Sonny Gray has been worth the offseason investment, making team history through his first nine starts.

May 26, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night at Busch Stadium, 4-3. The win moved the Cardinals to 25-26 while the loss dropped the Cubs to 27-26.

St. Louis has suddenly won eight of its last 10 games to move into third place in the National League Central.

Once again, Sonny Gray was excellent on the mound, as the righty went 5.0 innings, surrendering no runs and just one hit. He walked two and struck out eight and now owns a 7-2 record with a 2.60 ERA.

Signed to a $75 million contract over the offseason, Gray has been worth the investment for St. Louis as they work to remake their pitching staff. With his hot start, Gray has also tied some impressive team history.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Sonny Gray’s 67 strikeouts are tied with 2002 Chuck Finley for most in a pitcher’s first 9 appearances with the Cardinals (since at least 1901)

Sonny Gray’s 67 strikeouts are tied with 2002 Chuck Finley for most in a pitcher’s first 9 appearances with the Cardinals (since at least 1901)

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 27, 2024

The 34-year-old is in the 12th year of his career with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and Cardinals. He's 105-87 lifetime with a 3.44 ERA. The Vanderbilt product is a three-time All-Star who finished second in American League Cy Young voting a season ago. He has received Cy Young votes in three separate seasons and he's received MVP votes once as well (2022).

The Cardinals will be back in action on Memorial Day Monday when they take on the Cincinnati Reds at 4:10 p.m. ET. Lance Lynn (STL) pitches against Nick Lodolo (CIN).

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