MILWAUKEE – Sonny Gray woke up to a text from his college coach, Tim Corbin, at 6:45 a.m. Thursday.
On this day, Gray always receives a morning text from Corbin. Gray's dad, Jesse, died in a car accident on Aug. 26, 2004. Jesse Gray was a Cincinnati Reds fan and the first Major League game Sonny attended as a kid was in Cincinnati, not far from their home near Nashville.
Gray has pitched three times on Aug. 26 in his big-league career. It's a special day, he says. His team has won all three games. And he was a big reason why the Reds avoided a sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.