Aaron Boone previously said he was not going to be giving Sonny Gray a personal catcher, but it seems his mind has been changed somewhat.
Gray had arguably his best game of the season on Monday as he went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks at Houston. The Yankees lost the game 2-1, but it was an encouraging effort for Gray, who has a 6.67 ERA on the season. That’s only half of the whole story.
Gray has a 3.92 ERA in four starts this season with Austin Romine. In two starts with Gary Sanchez as his catcher, Gray has a 15.64 ERA. Romine was behind the dish against Houston and apparently was on the same page with his pitcher.
Speaking about his strong connection tonight with Austin Romine, Sonny Gray said he thought he shook off the Yankees catcher only one time all game.
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) May 1, 2018
The difference in performance for Gray between pitching to Romine vs. Sanchez goes back to last year.
Because you asked…Gray had a 4.63 ERA in eight games with Sanchez last season compared to a 1.45 ERA in three games with Romine
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 1, 2018
Sanchez may give the club a big offensive boost, but if Gray really just can’t pitch to him, then it makes sense to have Romine catch him. Boone recognizes that.
Aaron Boone said that he will try to pair Sonny Gray and Austin Romine going forward "when the schedule makes sense." Gray has made it clear that he prefers throwing to Romine.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 1, 2018
Boone previously said that the Sanchez-Gray pairing would need to work. He’s obviously feeling differently now.
