ANAHEIM -- Hours after being left off the initial American League All-Star Game roster, Sonny Gray pitched six strong innings to lead the Red Sox to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.
Gray allowed just four hits and one run -- a solo home run to Josh Lowe in the second inning -- while striking out seven and walking two. The performance further lowered his ERA to 2.61.
He wasn't the only Boston player left off the All-Star Game roster to impact the contest early.
First baseman Willson Contreras, who was also omitted from the initial AL selections, homered in his first at-bat. In the top of the first inning, Contreras hit a three-run home run off an 80.6 mph changeup to give Boston an early 3-0 lead. It was his 19th home run of the season.
Before the game, Contreras spoke about the All-Star selections, noting that while he tried not to build up expectations, he felt his performance merited a spot.
"If you ask me if I feel personally that I'm deserving, I would tell you yes," Contreras said.
He also expressed surprise that Gray was not selected to the team.
"He's had a phenomenal year," Contreras said. "Really surprised that he wasn't selected based off of the year that he has had. I think he should be there."
Contreras’s first-inning home run set the pace for a seven-hit night for Boston’s offense. The Red Sox broke the game open in the fifth inning against reliever Samy Natera Jr. Wilyer Abreu hit a two-run double to right field, and Romy Gonzalez followed with a two-run home run to push the lead to 7-1. Ceddanne Rafaela added an RBI double in the eighth inning to complete the scoring.