WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early struck out 11 in five shutout innings Tuesday night, winning his major league debut as Boston toppled the Athletics 6-0.
Early was called up from Triple-A Worcester earlier in the day and got the start after Dustin May was placed on the injured list with elbow issues.
The 23-year-old Early, who allowed five hits, struck out Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz in the first inning for his first big league K. He struck out the side in the second and fourth innings and recorded two strikeouts in the third and fifth.
“It was amazing,” Early said on the Red Sox postgame show on NESN. “Just to go out there and have that first opportunity. It was a long day of travel yesterday, but just getting to the field, and seeing all of the guys … it was amazing, and it’s just a bunch of joy.”
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The 11 strikeouts were tied for the most in a big league debut in Red Sox history (Don Aase in 1977). Early also became the fifth pitcher since 2000 with 10 Ks and no runs allowed in an MLB debut, joining Freddy Peralta, Matt Harvey, Aaron Harang and Kazuhisa Ishii.
“It was really good,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of Early’s start. “Since he’s gotten here, he’s been under control, in meetings, in the clubhouse, in the training room, he was prepared, too, which was eye-opening.”
The Boston offense showed him early support, which helped. Romy Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the first inning, and Rob Refsnyder followed that up in the same frame with a three-run shot. Before Early took the mound, he was leading 4-0.
“Having those two homers from our offense in the first inning is great,” Early said. “I was just trying to stay moving in the dugout, stay as warm as possible, and be ready to from Pitch 1. When you get a lead like that, you’re trying to just step on them, and keep attacking.”
Early was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 amateur draft and is Boston’s seventh-ranked prospect, according to ESPN. He is the third pitcher to make his MLB debut this season with the Red Sox, joining Hunter Dobbins and Payton Tolle.
Early was 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 28⅔ innings pitcher for Triple-A Worcester this season. He went 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA for Double-A Portland with 96 strikeouts in 71⅔ innings.
“He did his own homework,” Cora said. “He went through it with the coaching staff, and he executed.”
May, acquired from the Dodgers at the end of July, was placed on the IL, retroactive to Sunday, with right elbow neuritis. May went 1-4 in five starts and one relief appearance with Boston. He has a 5.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 28⅓ innings with the Red Sox. With the Dodgers, the 28-year-old right-hander went 6-7 with a 4.85 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 104 innings.
Also, the Red Sox recalled infielder Vaughn Grissom from Triple-A Worcester and placed him on the 60-day IL with plantar fasciitis.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
