OAKLAND — A cell phone can be the worst enemy for a ballplayer trying to get in the competitive frame of mind before first pitch.
Sonny Gray had his next to him leading up to Friday night’s start.
He probably wishes he hadn’t.
Less than an hour before game time at the Coliseum, Gray’s phone lit up with text messages from friends and loved ones who saw a false tweet coming out of Chicago that the A’s right-hander had been scratched against the Cleveland Indians, leading to all kinds of speculation that a trade was in the works.