The Boston Red Sox have gone from being written off as sellers at the trade deadline to becoming one of the hottest teams in baseball this year. They were sitting at the bottom of the AL East almost the entire early season, and now they have a 13-game winning streak that pulled them up to the 3rd position in the division within a month. But pitcher Sonny Gray, one of the biggest architects of the impossible, offered a different perspective after the latest feat. 

“We weren’t a good team, and that was a fact,” Gray said after the 6-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays, per Chris Costillo on X, who is a Red Sox beat writer. “But we’ve always had it in us, and we are a good team. At the same time, you can’t get too high, and you can’t get too low in this game.”

His thoughts about them being a good team now are quite contrasting to what he said one month ago:

“We’re not good. We’re just not a good team right now. That’s just a fact.”

Sonny Gray allowed 5 hits, but just 1 run over 6.0 innings on Sunday, helping the Red Sox complete a sweep against the Rays. And it was his 9th straight quality start for the team. The starter admitted that he felt a bit “rusty” on the mound, but he was still good enough to hand 4 straight defeats to the AL East toppers. And with this win, Boston solidifies its playoff contention with a 50-48 record. But a month ago, the scene was quite different.

They were 29-43, at the bottom of the AL East.

Fast forward to July 20, and the Red Sox have won 18 of their last 20 games. And with that, they are occupying the final Wild Card Spot in the American League. They have just tied their second-best franchise win streak record from 1948.

They are currently just 6 games behind Tampa Bay. And they have the entire second half to challenge them. Most importantly, the Red Sox are above .500 now. But these positives are exactly what Sonny Gray is warning about. 

The starter himself has stellar numbers. He recorded a 2.48 ERA with a 12-1 record this season. And Gray has been quite effective for Boston, striking out 90 batters. Yet, he wants to be cautious. He wants to make sure that they are not removing their foot from the pedal. 

And that says something about the mindset of the whole team right now.