The Texas Rangers can thank RHP Jon Gray for the winning game against the Royals

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Just wait, Jon Gray said. Wait for him to regain his speed. Then you really see something.

The Rangers can wait.

This version of Gray is totally fine with her. Even though he didn't get the official decision on Sunday, he was good enough to buy time for an offense that had him battling a terrible case of sinistrophobia (fear of lefties; look it up) en route to a comeback. behind a 3-2, 10-inning win over Kansas City. It began a 10-day, three-city road trip with a series win that pushed the Rangers to 19-16 and three games above .500 for the first time in a month.

Sure, his fastball may be a little worse than it was a year ago, but he throws it for strikes and doesn't mess with free baserunners. At a speed of 94.5 miles per hour it is still sufficient. His slider, which he's using more than ever, is a true swing-and-miss pitch, and his effectiveness is only increased by him filling the zone with the fastball. Together they make a deadly combination.

“We won this game today because of Jon,” manager Bruce Bochy said.

Not according to the box score. It will show that Kirby Yates, pitching for the first time in a week, got the win with two gutsy innings of relief work. That was a good thing, albeit exactly on par for a guy who has yet to allow a run in 2024. Yates was already in the game at the time Jonah Heim tied the score in the ninth with a home run just inside the foul pole and was still the record-setting pitcher when Nathaniel Lowe fended off Manfred's man designated runner Leody Taveras in the 10th after the score was 0-2. David Robertson assisted Yates to get the save.

But the point is that the offense didn't arrive until more than three hours after the scheduled first pitch. Teams endured an 82-minute rain delay, then the offense, anemic against left-handers, couldn't resolve the minor league call-up of Daniel Lynch IV or Angel Zerpa. The Rangers loaded the bases first in the wet base and then left everyone on Josh Smith's grounder. And then it seemed like they just didn't want to be in the rain. Corey Seager struck out three times. Adolis García struck twice. Between the bottom of the first and seventh, the Rangers did not put a runner on second base. It was a bad afternoon on the plate.

In the midst of it all, Gray fought through a slippery mound and a slippery baseball to hold Kansas City to two single runs, both of which began with Bobby Witt Jr. hits and ended with RBIs from Vinny Pasquantino. Both runs scored in the first three innings.

“And then he got this determined look,” Bochy said. “He was frustrated with the first few runs and said, 'That's enough.' He just lowered his head and didn't let them do anything. He adapted to who he was and what worked. He just gets this bulldog thing in him.”

Most of the time it's like this: He doesn't allow walks. Because of this, he doesn't have nearly as many problems, doesn't throw too many shots, and goes deeper into plays. It was the second time this week that Gray went at least seven innings and allowed no walks. It was the first time in his career that he had achieved this in two consecutive starts. It was the first time a ranger had done so since Grizzly Lance Lynn in 2020.

“It takes some confidence,” Gray said. “I don’t waste parking spaces. I'll get to the point early. I think I'm in a good place.

“When the speed comes back all the way, it will be even better.”

The Rangers aren’t worried about speed. In 2023 he reached an average speed of 95.7 miles per hour, this season the value has fallen by about a mile. He used his slider on a variety of his pitches, hitting a career-high 46% of the time. However, on Sunday the conditions for a spin pitch were not ideal. It was slippery and there were a few times when the ball slipped out of his hand.

He used the fastball more often, throwing it for 50 of his 99 pitches. And he was in the right zone with it, landing it for strikes 66% of the time. A lead in the count makes the slider more dangerous. He's good at throwing the ball away from the plate, and hitters are more tempted to go after him. On Sunday, he threw the ball into the strike zone just eight times in 34 throws, but managed 21 swings, including 13 misses. According to MLB's StatCast formula, Gray is the sixth-best player in baseball this season based on “run value” on Gray's slider.

It threw the Royals off balance and gave the Rangers offense time to find answers. They found them when the Royals ran out of lefties in the eighth. Leody Taveras doubled and scored when Seager made contact for the first time that day, a sacrifice fly to left. Then Heim equalized in the ninth round.

“But you have to look at the mound to find out why we won,” Bochy insisted.

Because this version of Jon Gray is just fine.

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