“He reminds me a lot of Roman [Anthony].”
Connelly Early’s first pitch delivered in 2025 was during the Spring Breakout Game — a showcase for young prospects during spring training.
Eight months later, the 23-year-old lefty will get the ball in The Bronx — and look to keep the Red Sox’s season alive in October.
No pressure, kid.
Less than 24 hours away from his first postseason start of his big-league career, Early was asked if he ever envisioned his 2025 campaign to potentially conclude with a win-or-go-home battle in Yankee Stadium.
The southpaw didn’t flinch in his retort.
“No, but I’m in that position now,” Early said ahead of his scheduled start in a decisive Game 3 against New York. “So got to go out there and trust my stuff.”
Trusting in his arsenal of pitches is the exact reason why Alex Cora and the Red Sox have turned to him to try and punch Boston’s ticket to the ALDS.
With Lucas Giolito sidelined for potentially all of October with an elbow injury, Early stands as the next man up in Boston’s pitching corps. It’s a group that will be operating on an even slimmer margin for error after Cora utilized six total relievers in Wednesday’s Game 2 loss in the Wild Card round.
It’s not exactly the softest landing for a pitcher in Early to earn his stripes in the playoffs — given both the stakes at play on Thursday and the hostility that awaits him on the mound in The Bronx.
“It’s electric,” Early said of his impressions of October baseball. “Really good game so far, and every pitch matters. So really competitive games and competitive [at-bats]. So just got to go out there and do my thing.”
It’s a sizable ask for Early to stymie a Yankees lineup that led the majors in both runs scored and home runs, especially given his lack of experience.
He has only logged four starts and recorded 19.1 innings of work so far in the big leagues, only earning a spot in the rotation after No. 5 starter Dustin May went down with an injury.
According to OptaStats, Early will be the first pitcher ever to start a winner-take-all postseason game within 30 days of his MLB debut.
But what Early has done in that limited sample size has impressed both Cora and the rest of his teammates ahead of the most consequential start of his life.
“He reminds me a lot of Roman [Anthony],” Jarren Duran said of Early. “I mean, they’re so young. But they’re so calm, cool and collected, and it’s awesome to see that. I can’t wait to see him get on the mound tomorrow and see that big smile he always has when he’s competing.”
Beyond the potential advantage of trotting out a southpaw against New York’s lefty-heavy lineup, Early’s swing-and-miss stuff could be used to neutralize an aggressive Yankee offensive approach.
In Early’s four starts so far this season, he is sporting a 2.33 ERA to go along with 29 strikeouts and just four walks across those 19.1 innings of work.
“The fastball plays and the breaking ball is good,” Cora said of Early on Tuesday. “When you’re around the zone and you’ve got good stuff, you’re going to get swing-and-miss.”
Early won’t be the only pitcher heading into uncharted waters on Thursday. The Yankees will roll with rookie — and Walpole native — Cam Schlittler as their Game 3 starter after appearing in just 14 big-league games.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it will be the first game in postseason history between two starters who are each making their 15th career appearance or fewer, as noted by MLB.com’s Ian Browne.
“It’s going to be loud here,” Cora said of Game 3. “Two rookies. Game 3. Wild Card. Yankees. Red Sox. Imagine that. So it should be a fun night.”