On a humid Saturday night in Cleveland, the St. Louis Cardinals found exactly what they’d been missing: dominance, clarity, and belief, all wrapped into nine immaculate innings. And that largest come-from-behind win of the season? Poetry. Once down five runs after four innings, the Cardinals scored two in the fifth and five more times in the sixth inning and managed 14 hits. What followed was more than just a win; it was a bold statement sent across the National League. And the man behind the message? Well, it was the $75 million ace.
The 35-year-old starting pitcher, fresh off signing a $75 million deal this offseason, delivered a jaw-dropping complete game shutout against the Guardians on just 89 pitches (66 of them for strikes) at Progressive Field. And it wasn’t just dominant, it was historic. It was a classic Maddux: minimal effort, maximum impact. Sonny Gary struck out 11, while giving just one hit, didn’t allow any walks, and made it all look effortless. In a season full of uncertainty, Gray handed the Cardinals something rare: clarity and momentum in one outing.
MLB Network Radio’s Jensen Lewis captured what the moment truly meant: “I don’t know how many of us expected the Cardinals to be in this spot… If you’re a Cardinals fan, you’re like, not only are we not selling, but we’re right in the fight.”
And let’s not forget the support that Gary had from the Cardinals’ offense early on. Both Pedro Pages and Alec Burleson hit home runs off Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz in the third inning. Burleson’s two-run blast helped push St. Louis to a 3-0 lead, and from there, they never looked back. On the other hand, the Guardians’ continued offensive struggles were explicit as Noah Jones had their only hit over their last two games.
The Cardinals managed to bag their fifth straight road game in front of an announced crowd of 32,484, and that’s a mark that’s been untouched since 2021, when they won their final 11 games of the season. But that’s not it.
After a DOMINANT outing by Sonny Gray, the #Cardinals are currently 3.5 games back in the NL Central #STLCards | #ForTheLou
https://t.co/fGPbvbj8w4 pic.twitter.com/RwUxZglfvI
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 28, 2025
Just weeks ago, Gray’s name floated in trade rumors, alongside Nolan Arenado and Ryan Helsley, as St. Louis looked like a team bracing to reset. That chatter feels outdated now. And the cherry on top, you may ask? Well, Gray’s outing was a page straight for the history books where he became the first pitcher in 125 years to throw a nine-inning shutout with no earned runs, no walks, one or fewer hits allowed, at least 11 strikeouts, and fewer than 90 pitches. With the club improving to 46–38 and closing in on the NL Central lead, Gray’s gem slammed the door on seller talk and opened one toward October relevance.
After the game, Gray didn’t just reflect on the win; he acknowledged how rare this kind of performance has become.
“It’s been few and far between,” he told STLToday, after delivering the fifth shutout of his career and first since 2015. “I did it a lot earlier in my career, and it’s been a while. I try not to do too much, but at the same time, it is nice to be able to do that for sure.”
That’s the thing: Gray didn’t just pitch a shutout; he reminded the league what an ace truly looks like. Further, in the last seven starts, he posted a surgical 2.06 ERA over 43.2 innings. And if this is the version of Sonny Gray, the Cardinals are getting down the stretch? The National League better start paying attention.
First since the Bronx: Sonny Gray ends 7-year Cardinals drought
After silencing the Guardians with a nine-inning gem, Sonny Gray didn’t rush to celebrate. Instead, he opened up about just how rare and difficult these kinds of outings have become, not just in baseball, but in his career. Saturday’s shutout marked Gray’s first complete game since 2017, when he wore Yankee pinstripes. That’s a seven-year drought snapped in style, and Gray wasn’t shy about acknowledging the grind it took to get back here.
Gray said candidly. “You don’t know if you would be able to do it, especially the way the game’s kind of gone. Especially with me. Like, I don’t throw over 100 pitches very often.”
But Gray didn’t need 100 pitches to dominate; he needed just 89. He never threw more than 12 pitches in a single inning or had two innings ended in eight pitches or fewer, but on Saturday, he attacked 19 of the 28 batters with first-pitch strikes, and retired 15 Guardians hitters on three pitches or fewer. This wasn’t luck. It was intent. Gray controlled tempo, location, and tone. And when he ran out for the ninth, he didn’t see a milestone, just another inning. “That felt nice,” he said, smiling.
For Gray, the grind may be real, but so is the groove he’s found.
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