Former Virginia Cavaliers pitcher Connelly Early dazzled in his MLB debut on Tuesday night for the Boston Red Sox, throwing five scoreless innings while striking out 11 batters in a 6-0 win over the Athletics.
Early — who was drafted in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft by Boston — earned his call-up this week after Red Sox starter Dustin May, a significant trade-deadline addition from the Los Angeles Dodgers, was placed on the IL
with right elbow neuritis.
A 6-foot-3 lefty from Midlothian, Virginia, Early took full advantage of his first big-league opportunity. He hit the ground running with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to start his debut. Early forced the first two batters he faced to ground out before punching out the next four A’s to step to the plate.
The lanky lefty finally ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the third, allowing a pair of two-out singles to fellow ’Hoo Jack Gelof and Shea Langliers. But the inning would go no further as Early got All-Star Brent Rooker to swing and miss on a curveball for his sixth strikeout of the evening.
Early walked another tight rope in the fourth inning as the A’s loaded the bases with three singles. But again, the Virginia product didn’t blink, fanning Darell Hernaiz and Lawrence Butler to escape the jam.
The UVA star would finish his outing with two more punch outs in the fifth inning and leave the mound having tied the Red Sox record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in their Major League debut.
Early, whose fastball averaged around 94 miles per hour on Tuesday, relied heavily on a combination of his heater and a wicked curveball that generated a 54.5% whiff rate. Overall, the lefty induced 19 swings and misses, proving that his stuff is more than ready for the show.
It’s no surprise to Virginia fans that Early is a Major League talent. The Virginia native spent his final collegiate season at UVA in 2023 after making 30 appearances in two seasons at Army. Early earned First-Team All-America honors from NCBWA after matching UVA’s single-season record with 12 wins in 2023. The lefty was also a major factor in Virginia’s sixth College World Series appearance, going 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA over 18 innings in three NCAA Tournament starts.
His collegiate success carried over to the minor leagues, where across his three seasons in the Red Sox farm system, Early boasted an impressive 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Before this week’s call-up, Early had split his 2025 season between double-A Portland, where he was 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA, and triple-A Worcester, where he was 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA.
After Tuesday night’s gem, Early should continue to be a factor in the Red Sox’s rotation as Boston fights to earn a playoff spot. With just 16 games left in the regular season as of Wednesday morning, the Sox trail the Toronto Blue Jays by three games in the AL East standings but hold a substantial five-game buffer in the Wild Card picture.
