BSN Exclusive: Gray on improving anger and importance of body language

Even with the rise of home runs across the board this season – including on pitches that have historically been outs – the baseball adage that good pitching beats good hitting is still accurate in 2019.

The rate of homers is higher than ever, but throughout the game several starting pitchers and relievers have been able to suppress scoring, keep their earned run average under 3.00 and win more than twice as many games as they lose.

The best in the game aren’t perfect. They face challenges and get beat; ultimately, they are the best because of an ability to bounce back better than their peers.

Max Scherzer and his 2.41 ERA are coupled with five losses in 20 starts. On ten occasions, Hyun-Jin Ryu and his MLB-leading 1.45 ERA have thrown a pitch only to experience a case of whiplash as it sails over the fence for a homer. Kirby Yates leads all of baseball with 33 saves and has been such a good pitcher that only one hitter has homered off him; however, he’s lost three games for the Padres, tied for second-most on his club.

What all of these pitchers have in common is an ability to rebound from disappointment. After a season chock full of obstacles in 2018, Jon Gray is handling bad news and responding to bad outings better than ever.

“You can let that stuff work for you negatively and it can just be really bad,” he said of certain lackluster performances. “Just making terrible decisions out of anger, not focusing, things like that. But I’m trying to do a better job at that. I still get angry, but I feel like I’m kicking it to the side early.”

During a nine start stretch between June 13 and July 29, Gray put aside the odd ball four and extra-base hit to compile a 5-2 record with a 3.33 ERA. Going into the August 3 start against the Giants, his 3.88 ERA on the season led the team.

Against San Francisco, Gray gave up four runs in the opening inning; in Thursday night’s game against San Diego, he allowed three runs over the first two frames. In both instances, he responded with three consecutive scoreless innings following those early struggles.

While he received a no-decision and loss for those two outings, Gray’s response to challenges has been part of his success throughout the year. An ability to keep his anger in check on a bad pitch or undesirable result has undoubtedly driven improvement during his fourth full-season in the majors.

“A little bit better,” Gray admitted. “There are some things I’d like to be a little bit – sometimes I think I have bad body language when I get the hit, but those times I’m really surprised I gave up a hit. It’s just like, ‘You really caught me off guard there’. Usually, I want to get mad, but I feel like I’m kicking it to the side a little bit quicker.”

Improving body language is a subtle art in professional sports. Consider confidence and swagger as being on one side of the coin; doubt and timidity representing the other. Gray wants to look like the man who will provide all eight of his fielders with an increased sense of confidence through the unspoken communication he exudes on the mound.

“It just makes everybody around you know that you’ve got everything under control,” Gray said of his body language atop the bump. “Your teammates, when they see you as having good body language, they just feel like we’re going to get out of this (situation). We’re more than likely to make the play. So I just feel like it just keeps positive energy.”

In the thin air of Coors Field, where challenges abound, Gray has always felt at home, as evidenced by his .706 winning percentage (24-10), second-best in franchise history behind only Jorge De La Rosa (.726).

After the struggles against the Giants, Gray discussed his mindset when following up a great outing – like the 8 innings and one earned run against the Dodgers in his previous start – with a lackluster one.

“Just don’t get discouraged,” he said of early struggles following the gem against Los Angeles. “I mean it’s not like the stuff disappeared and left me or anything like that. I’ve just got to get better at it and just find the switch I need to make a little bit sooner.”

It’s been somewhat of a mantra for the Wolf of Blake Street that allows him to deal with anger and negative body language. In a game rife with the law of averages, Gray knows a few small-scale losses can be equally followed by victories. 

“I don’t want to say like small or simple it is, I guess, but it’s not the end of the world. You live to fight another day. You live to throw another pitch. Don’t get upset about that because for everything bad that happens, something good will happen to you. I just try to stay positive and know that it’s a fluke,” Gray said of this mindset.

As for his ability to improve upon his playing weight from last, Gray is in a better place than in 2018 when he dropped over twenty pounds during the course of the season.

“I’m a lot heavier than I was last year. I’m happy about that, but I’d still like to maintain some more. I’d still like to be a little bit heavier at this time of the season.”

Whether its the weight of the world or just that of what rests upon his bones, Gray will be alright.

If not, he’ll make sure he at least looks alright.