Never mind the loss: Gray impresses

Sonny Gray made his first start for the Yankees on Thursday night and had their fans thinking October. He gave up four runs in a 5-1 loss in Cleveland, but the numbers were misleading. Gray came exactly as advertised.

The Indians’ two-run first inning was a direct result of three errors, and he made just one mistake, a hanging slider that Yan Gomes drilled for a two-run double in the sixth inning, Gray’s last. Otherwise, all of his pitches were working and the Indians rarely made solid contact.

He routinely baffled lefthanded hitters with his signature pitch, technically a fastball around 90-92 mph but darting low and away like a changeup — and called a split-finger pitch (given Gray’s grip on the ball) by Indians broadcaster Rick Manning. More conventionally, Gray’s breaking balls tamed the right-handed hitters over the first five innings, balanced by the occasional high fastball.

As much as he enjoyed Oakland, Gray freely admits that “it’s always been a dream of mine to put on the pinstripes.” He joins a young, promising team in the heat of a division race with the Red Sox, and he will benefit greatly from a bullpen that features four of baseball’s top 18 relievers in strikeout rate: Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. The dream could become a very satisfying reality.

There was nothing surprising about the Gray trade, an inevitable development dating to his injury issues last year, but it brought a fresh round of outrage from A’s fans who simply do not trust ownership. How does that change? Three ways: 1. Promises fulfilled that a ballpark site will have been chosen and set by year’s end.

2. Proof that the club’s “new direction” isn’t merely idle talk. Arrange a five-year contract for third baseman Matt Chapman, who will be in his prime when the ballpark opens (as opposed to Marcus Semien, about to turn 27).

3. John Fisher sells the club. He’s an ongoing joke, a shameless cheapskate, and shouldn’t be trusted under any circumstances. After years of disgrace, there’s nothing he could do to redeem himself.

The high-flying Houston Astros failed to acquire Gray or another top starter at the deadline, raising concerns because Lance McCullers (back) is on the disabled list and Dallas Keuchel has been there twice this season. “Disappointment is a little bit of an understatement,” Keuchel said.