The Boston Red Sox got treated to another dazzling performance from a rookie left-hander in their MLB debut.
Connelly Early impressed Wednesday night over the Athletics less than two weeks after Payton Tolle’s strong introduction against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Red Sox helped out the 2023 fifth-rounder out with four runs of support in the first innings from home runs courtesy of Romy Gonzalez and Rob Refsnyder. Both hitters have mashed against left-handed pitching and continued that trend against Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs.
Early took that lead and ran with it. He attacked hitters with a good four-seam fastball and teased a quality changeup and solid breaking ball. He missed bats and froze hitters throughout the night, even through a few jams including a bases-loaded escape.
The Red Sox lefty even tied a franchise record with 11 strikeouts, the most in an MLB debut in a Boston uniform. Per The Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr, Early is the only one in MLB history to do so inside of five innings of work.
Early pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA in the minor leagues this season and needed just over two years since his draft day to make his MLB debut. From Tolle to Early to Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts, the Red Sox have a clear direction in a youthful pitching pipeline that’s skyrocketed since chief baseball officer Craig Breslow took over with incumbent and new arms surrounding the organization.
More MLB: This Red Sox Infielder Matters For 2026 After Alex Bregman Update
The post Red Sox Rookie Made Franchise History In Eye-Popping Debut appeared first on Newsweek.
