Sonny Gray may have been the first Cincinnati Reds pitcher in franchise history to sit on the mound before pitching in an inning.
Before the fourth inning Sunday, Gray walked to the mound, sat down and then rubbed the dirt across the back of his left leg. The reason? He had pine tar on the back of his leg and he didn't want umpires to suspect him of using a foreign substance.
Gray hit in the previous half-inning and wiped pine tar on his leg. The Reds informed home-plate umpire Lance Barrett before Gray sat on the mound to avoid a potential ejection.