Let’s talk about Connelly Early, shall we?
Heading into Tuesday, most casual Red Sox fans had no idea who this kid was as news broke that he was being called up after Dustin May was added to the 15-day injured list.
When they wake up on Wednesday morning, they’ll see an all-time great stat line for a rookie debut, as the 23-year-old was dealing in his first big league game.
His 11 strikeouts on Tuesday tied a franchise record for the most strikeouts by a Red Sox pitcher in his MLB debut. He retired the first eight batters he faced, looking like an old pro as he ran through an Oakland lineup that had no answers.
Early lasted 90 pitches across 5 innings of work, only walking one batter and allowing just five hits on the night.
It was truly a special performance from a kid who once upon a time was pitching for West Point before transferring to Virginia to finish his college career.
Here’s what Andrew Mahoney of The Boston Globe wrote on Tuesday about the newest member of the Red Sox ahead of his first career start:
“In his start for Worcester last week, Early elicited 20 swings and misses — the most by any Red Sox pitcher in Triple A this year — and struck out 10 over six innings of one-run ball. The 23-year-old has a 2.83 ERA and 31 percent strikeout rate in six Triple A starts.
“He was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of the University of Virginia.”
That 10 strikeout performance described above by Mahoney was Early’s only 10 strikeout game this season until Tuesday night.
I guess the kid is peaking at the right time.
This electric debut for Early comes earlier than expected (pun intended), as the conventional wisdom around the player was that he wouldn’t be making an impact on the big league roster until 2026.
But after a game we’ll all remember for a long time, it feels like Early isn’t done having an impact on 2025.
Just 11 days ago, 22-year-old top pitching prospect Payton Tolle made a statement in his MLB debut, striking out eight in 5.1 innings with NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes throwing for Pittsburgh. The stage wasn't too big, as the 2024 second round pick looked more than ready for the moment.
First Tolle. Now Early.
The future is bright in Boston.
Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.