WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Instant reactions as Connelly Early’s phenomenal major league debut helps the Red Sox shut out the Athletics for the second straight night, this time by a 6-0 score at Sutter Health Park:
1) Early’s debut exceeded even the highest of expectations in his first big league game. He was dominant from the start, when he punctuated a 1-2-3 first inning with a strikeout of rookie sensation Nick Kurtz, and retired the first eight batters he faced.
Early gave the Red Sox five innings and tied a franchise record for most strikeouts in a big league debut with 11. He was tagged for five hits and walked a single batter, throwing 90 pitches.
The last Red Sox pitcher to have that many strikeouts in a big league debut Don Aase in 1977. It also was a season-high for Early, who struck out 10 for the first time this year in his last start for the WooSox a week ago. A sneaky good A’s lineup was kept off balance for the entirety of Early’s outing.
Early was just the fifth Red Sox pitcher ever to have double-digit strikeouts in his MLB debut and the first since Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007.
2) Boston’s win was its third in a row. It came on a night in which the division-leading Blue Jays (as well as the Mariners and Rangers) won but the Yankees and Royals lost. So the Sox are back to even with the Yankees, despite having played two more games. Both clubs are three games back of Toronto (the Sox have 16 games to go).
In the wild card race, the Red Sox — for now — are still in second place behind the Yankees based on winning percentage. They remain five games up on the Rangers and six on the Guardians, who are both on the outside looking in.
3) Payton Tolle got all the hype as Boston’s best — and most animated — pitching prospect. But Early showed a ton of emotion in his stellar debut, skipping off the mound after strikeouts and soaking in the moment.
“He’s probably similar to me,” Tolle said before the game. “He’s gonna have a whole lot of fun. He’s gonna be out there and he’s gonna give you a little bit of emotion, I think.”
Early’s biggest celebration came in the fourth, when he escaped his most tenuous jam of the night. Singles by Kurtz, Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom loaded the bases with one out but Early battled back and ended the threat by punching out back-to-back hitters in Darell Hernaiz and Lawrence Butler. He pumped his fist after the Butler strikeout and headed toward the dugout.
4) Working in Early’s favor was an … early … outburst by Boston’s offense, which was all over Jeffrey Springs in the first. Romy Gonzalez led off with a no-doubt solo homer. Alex Bregman and Trevor Story each singled, then Rob Refsnyder took launch with a 463-foot blast to left-center that made it 4-0 before an out was recorded. By the second inning, it was 5-0 thanks to a Gonzalez RBI double.
5) Gonzalez left the game after that second at-bat with a sore left knee and Nathaniel Lowe replaced him at first base. He’s day-to-day and was feeling much better postgame.
6) While Gonzalez was in the game, he — along with his lefty-mashing partner Refsnyder — did exactly what he’s paid to do. He was 2-for-2 with two RBIs off Springs and Refsnyder was 2-for-5 with three RBIs in his return to the lineup. In all, Boston had eight hits in five innings against Springs.
Refsnyder had two other bids at homers with warning track fly-outs in the eighth and ninth. Those loud outs traveled 373 feet and 340 feet, respectively.
7) Once Alex Cora turned to the bullpen, it was interesting to see Justin Slaten get some low-leverage work in a five-run game in the seventh. Slaten has not been himself in the four games he has pitched since returning from a three-month absence, as evidenced by his 11.25 ERA in those four outings. It was not smooth sailing Tuesday as Slaten worked around two hits in an 18-pitch frame, and it could have been worse had Story not made a diving catch on a 109.3 mph Brent Rooker line drive to end the inning.
Cora was able to get work for Greg Weissert, Slaten, Steven Matz and Chris Murphy in the win.
8) It’ll be another rookie on the mound for the Red Sox in Wednesday’s series finale as Payton Tolle (0-1, 7.56 ERA) makes his third career start. The A’s will pitch righty Mason Barnett (1-1, 9.00 ERA) with first pitch at 3:35 p.m. ET.
- BETTING: Red Sox moneyline is -130 on Caesars for Wednesday’s game against the A’s. Our complete Caesars Sportsbook review shows you how to sign up and use their platform.
The Red Sox are expected to call-up left-hander Kyle Harrison ahead of the finale. They’ll need to send a pitcher down to do so. That’ll be an interesting call if the club had designs on having Early be a one-and-done in his rotation spot.
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