Sonny Gray pine tar suspicions ran rampant during Yankees-Red Sox Game 2

Sonny Gray had some interesting comments about his time with the New York Yankees prior to his Game 2 start in a do-or-die game for the Boston Red Sox. Gray ran through the classic excuse of blaming the media, before trying to sell everyone on the idea that he was a stronger man and a better pitcher as a result of what he went through in the Bronx.

While he was ultimately the one responsible for the heat he faced in pinstripes, a fact that he didn't really acknowledge, it's hard to say that he didn't have an objectively good year, with a 2.72 ERA over 169 innings. It should be noted, however, that his xERA and FIP were almost identical to 2025's 4.28 ERA performance, and his xFIP was a good amount higher, coming in at 3.68.

Gray sounded almost like a defeated man when discussing the reception he'd receive in Yankee Stadium, saying, "it'll be what it'll be." It seems, though, that the 36-year-old may have had a trick up his sleeve to try to better control the narrative.

Multiple fans noted on social media that Gray had a swath of some sort of brown substance on the back and right side of his neck. It strongly resembled what pine tar might look like if one were to take a big dollop and smear it all over one's skin.

Gray repeatedly touched the area in between pitches, drawing more attention to the strange patch and seemingly sticky stuff, leading to speculation that not everything that was going on was above board.

We're not accusing Sonny Gray of cheating in Yankees-Red Sox Game 2, but it certainly doesn't look good

Gray had an unusual level of confidence pitching in front of the hostile crowd. He wasn't perfect, though, allowing six hits and two earned runs over 4 2/3 innings, but he did strike out five in the process.

The Yankees started turning the tide on him in the fourth, when Luis Garcia Jr. launched a leadoff homer to break the scoreless tie. Gray started to unravel a bit in the fifth, giving up a pair of singles that set up a first-and-third situation with two outs. Erik Miller then relieved him and allowed a Cody Bellinger RBI single for the second run charged to Gray.

The right-hander was not happy with Chad Tracy's decision to pull him so early. He had only thrown 70 pitches up to that point.

"I think I'm the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time. I think that's a fact. Yeah, I mean, I would've liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that's the competitor I am, and, yeah, I think you can probably ask the guys, and they felt the same way," Gray said defiantly postgame.

The "competitor" comment stands out because that's not how we remember Gray. Perhaps he was confident in his ability to handle the tough jam because he had a little extra help from some sticky stuff. We don't know, but from what we've seen, it's pretty suspicious.

When asked about Gray getting pulled in the fifth, Boston first baseman Willson Contreras simply responded with a "lips zipped" gesture. Did he know there was some funny business going on?

At the end of the day, Gray was clearly frustrated and made it clear that his future with the Red Sox is uncertain. That's not surprising because he has stated that retirement has been on his mind previously, so it could just be that, but maybe it's the angst of knowing he had an advantage and wasn't able to capitalize on it. Like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know.

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