The San Francisco Giants find themselves in the thick of a competitive NL West and that’s largely thanks to their sublime pitching. The Giants’ arms have really carried the team these past months, keeping them neck and neck with the rival Dodgers and Padres. The bullpen in particular has been magnificent, with Giants relievers combining for a 2.32 ERA, the best unit in the entire league at the time of writing. The rotation hasn’t been too shabby either, anchored by their ever-dependable ace Logan Webb and his 2.58 ERA, with an exciting young core in support.
The rotation’s major standout however, the ray of light if you will, has been veteran Robbie Ray.
The 33-year-old southpaw has been nothing short of outstanding; every stop on the Robbie Ray Redemption Tour has had Giants fans celebrating. If you need a win, you send Ray out there and the man delivers: the Giants are 11-2 when Ray pitches this season.
Ray has compiled an 8-1 record over those thirteen spectacular starts, with a 2.44 ERA in 77.1 innings of work. He’s been nigh on untouchable, racking up 87 strikeouts in that time, good enough for a 10.13 K/9 ratio (per FanGraphs).
This level of dominance is a far cry from the Ray we saw last year, his first season in San Francisco. After the Mariners flipped him to the Giants in a January 2024 trade, he was reduced to just seven injury-plagued starts for his new team. Ray never looked remotely close to his best form. He cast an uncomfortable figure on the mound, a shadow of the pitcher who convincingly captured the 2021 AL Cy Young Award just four years ago.
Determined to right the ship in 2025, Ray arrived at spring training with a renewed focus and a healthy body, the best he’s felt since his 2023 Tommy John surgery. All of that hard work and preparation has paid off enormously and was on full display during an all-conquering May: Ray pitched to a 1.38 ERA across six starts and was deservedly awarded NL Pitcher of the Month honours in the process.
Ray’s success has been built upon his fastball, his foundation pitch, that he throws over 52% of the time to consistently pound the strike zone and help keep the count in his favour. Ray upsets hitters at the plate when those heaters ride higher in the zone, where he really likes to operate. When Ray establishes his go-to pitch and attacks hitters up and in, things usually go pretty well for him.
The major factor behind Ray’s recent success is the addition of a changeup to his arsenal, a pitch he helped develop this winter with reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. The Tigers ace graciously shared the secrets of his devastating changeup with Ray and it has paid off handsomely for the Giants’ lefty. Opponents are hitting a paltry .161 off Ray’s newest weapon and it currently generates a disgusting 47% Whiff rate (per Baseball Savant). Ray’s mastery of the changeup has helped elevate him among the elite pitchers in MLB, and back into Cy Young Award contention once more.
There’s a strong chance Ray’s scorching start has earned him a spot as a Giants representative in Atlanta’s Midsummer Classic next month. Ray has only featured once before in the All-Star Game, way back in 2017 when he was still a member of the Diamondbacks. On current form he should be a shoo-in for his second career selection.
Until that time, Giants fans can watch the calendar with giddy eagerness, patiently awaiting Ray’s slot in the rotation and his next chance for victory. The San Francisco faithful have grown rather attached to the Tennessean this year; those signature tight pants that appear painted to his legs, his grunts of exertion each time he unfurls another pitch, akin to the most expressive of tennis players.
Ray has done all he can to capture the hearts of Giants fans, overcoming that difficult start to his career by the Bay. Whether or not he can go on to capture legitimate silverware this season is yet to be determined.
Ash Day is the San Francisco Giants writer for Bat Flips and Nerds. Read more from him here and follow him on Instagram at @SayHey_UK
Photo credit for featured image by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images.
