Red Sox Connelly Early Strikes Out 11 in MLB Debut

The Boston Red Sox called up left-handed pitching prospect Connelly Early from Triple-A Worcester to make his major league debut on Tuesday against the Athletics, replacing Dustin May who was placed on the injured list. Early delivered an impressive performance, pitching five scoreless innings and striking out 11 batters, tying the team record for strikeouts in a big league debut. Before his promotion, Early had a strong season between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.60 ERA, 132 strikeouts, and a 1.11 WHIP over 100 innings. The game was played in a hitter-friendly environment at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, where Early faced a solid Athletics lineup. His debut was part of a season seeing many new Red Sox prospects like Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer making their first major league appearances. A win in this game kept the Red Sox from finishing their road trip with a losing record and offered the chance to gain ground in the division as rivals struggled.