Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early on Tuesday struck out 11 in five shutout innings to match a franchise record during his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics.
“Pretty sick performance,” teammate Romy Gonzalez said. “It was fun to watch.”
The only other Red Sox starter to rack up 11 strikeouts in his first career game was Don Aase versus the Milwaukee Brewers on July 26, 1977.
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“It was amazing, just to go out there and have that first opportunity,” Early said after getting the win in a 6-0 victory. “A long day of travel yesterday and just getting to the field, seeing all the guys, seeing guys that you don’t even imagine being next to most of the time. So it was amazing and just a bunch of joy.”
Early was called up from Triple-A Worcester to start on Tuesday after Dustin May went on the injured list with elbow issues.
Boston manager Alex Cora said that Early’s composure stood out the most.
Photo: AFP
“Since he got here, under control during the meetings, in the clubhouse, in the training room. He was prepared, too, which was eye-opening,” Cora said. “He did his own homework, went through it with the coaching staff, and he executed. There was some traffic there, but he never panicked and gave us five, and that was good enough.”
The 23-year-old lefty from Virginia, who allowed five hits and a walk, fanned rookie slugger Nick Kurtz in the opening inning for his first big-league strikeout.
Early struck out the side in order in the second and whiffed three batters again in the fourth inning, leaving the bases loaded when he got Darell Hernaiz with a slider and Lawrence Butler on a sinker.
“I think we just did a good job at keeping a constant mix,” said Early, who threw 61 of his 90 pitches for strikes. “I was able to get some swing and misses down at the bottom of the zone on secondary pitches, and I think we did a really good job, especially making some big-time pitches when runners were on.”
He had two strikeouts in the third and two more in the fifth.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, it was:
‧ Angels 12, Twins 2
‧ Blue Jays 4, Astros 3
‧ Braves 1, Cubs 6
‧ Dodgers 7, Rockies 2
‧ Giants 5, Diamondbacks 3
‧ Guardians 2, Royals 0
‧ Orioles 3, Pirates 2 (11i)
‧ Mariners 5, Cardinals 3
‧ Marlins 5, Nationals 7
‧ Padres 2, Reds 4
‧ Phillies 9, Mets 3
‧ Rangers 5, Brewers 4
‧ White Sox 4, Rays 5
‧ Yankees 2, Tigers 12
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