The Minnesota Twins finished the 2022 season on a sour note after a late-season slide took them from first place all the way down to third in the division.
They finished 78-84.
However, they are off to a pretty good start in 2023 as they own the second-best record in the American League.
Veteran right-hander Sonny Gray is one of the many reasons why the Twins are playing so well.
Through his first two starts, he owns a 0.75 ERA over 12 innings of work.
He also has a 1.00 WHIP and 14 strikeouts.
Gray will make his third start of the season on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox.
On Monday, the 33-year-old stopped by MLB Central to talk about his mindset while he pitches and what drives him to be so successful.
“I don’t think you should ever want to give up the ball…you should fight for yourself. You should want the ball in your hand for as long as possible.”@SonnyGray2 shares his mindset as a starting pitcher going deep into games.#MNTwins | @Twins | NTT #BallparkCam pic.twitter.com/0aTlqSN4b5
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 10, 2023
Gray first commented on the early success the Twins are having, saying that the team always believed in their starting pitching and were hopeful that it could guide them in 2023.
Minnesota also has Tyler Mahle, Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, and Kenta Maeda in their rotation, all of whom have pitched quite well.
He says the goal is to pick up where the last starter left off in order to continue their run of success.
Gray then talked about his mentality while he pitches and what gives him that extra push.
He says what drives him is not wanting to give up the ball, and stated that he believes it’s a mindset every starting pitcher should have.
Gray says the key is to want the ball in your hand for as long as possible.
