<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-brutal-connelly-early-game-3-stat-shows-defense-did-him-dirty');   ga('set', 'title', 'Brutal Connelly Early Game 3 stat shows Red Sox defense did him dirty');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Red-Sox-pitcher-Connelly-Early-71-stands.jpg"><figcaption>© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Brutal Connelly Early Game 3 stat shows Red Sox defense did him dirty</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-03T00:54:10-07:00">October 3rd, 12:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-03T00:54:10-07:00">October 3rd, 12:54am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Through the first three innings of the decisive Game 3 of the AL Wild Card series clash between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, with rookie starter Connelly Early holding his own against a very deep Yankees lineup. He was almost mirroring <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-game-3-personal-cam-schlittler-chirps-red-sox-fans">what Cam Schlittler was doing</a> opposite him on the mound, but in the fourth inning, the floodgates opened, with the Yankees scoring four runs in quick succession to chase him out of the game in what was eventually a 4-0 win for New York.</p><p>Early exited the game having allowed four total runs (three earned) in just 3.2 innings of work for a rough single-start ERA of 7.36. But advanced metrics suggest that the rookie southpaw did not get any help from his defense whatsoever. As baseball content creator Dillard Barnhart <a href="https://x.com/BarnHasSpoken2/status/1973924069532971363" rel="noopener">pointed out</a> on X (formerly Twitter), the Red Sox rookie had a fielding-independent pitching stat of 0.68, which means that he definitely took care of what he could have.</p><p>The fielding-independent pitching (FIP) stat focuses on strikeouts, walks, hit-by-pitches and home runs. Early struck out six, walked just one, did not hit any batter nor did he allow any home runs. Through the first three innings, he allowed just six balls in play. (The Yankees had two hits off of those.)</p><p>But in the fourth inning, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-poor-defense-called-out-yankees-explode">Red Sox starter allowed six balls in play</a>, with the Yankees either reaching base or scoring a run in five of those. However, some balls were certainly playable and the Red Sox should have been better in fielding them. Instead, they hung Early out to dry.</p><h2><b>Red Sox defense needs work</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Boston-Red-Sox-starting-pitcher-Connelly-Early.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><p>To start the fourth inning, Early induced a shallow fly ball from Cody Bellinger. Alas, the Red Sox outfielders weren’t very sure of the ball’s trajectory, with Ceddanne Rafaela failing to catch the ball on the dive. This gave the Yankees a leadoff double.</p><p>Amed Rosario, two batters later, hit a sharp groundball to shortstop that would have been difficult to field for even the best defender. The Red Sox get a pass for that. Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single next time out was also on a sharp line drive to right field, which would be difficult for any outfielder to snag.</p><p>Anthony Volpe’s RBI single, however, could have been dealt with better at second base. There might have been some positioning or reflex issues, but that wasn’t hit very sharply and could have been a double play in another universe.</p><p>This opened up disaster for the Red Sox on the very next at-bat. After dodging a catcher’s interference call, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe fluffed a ground ball straight towards him and took the ball out of reach from second baseman Romy Gonzalez and all the way to the outfield — allowing the Yankees to score two more runs.</p><p>The Red Sox have to make defensive improvements a priority this offseason, that’s for sure.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Brutal Connelly Early Game 3 stat shows Red Sox defense did him dirty

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-accomplish-feat-babe-ruth');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox’s Connelly Early to accomplish feat not seen since Babe Ruth');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Early-Red-Sox.jpg"><figcaption>Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox’s Connelly Early to accomplish feat not seen since Babe Ruth</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-02T13:15:28-07:00">October 2nd, 1:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-02T13:15:28-07:00">October 2nd, 1:15pm</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Red Sox are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-yankees-red-sox-game-3-pitching-matchup-not-seen-5-years">entering a must-win Wild Card Series Game 3 matchup</a> against the New York Yankees. And on the mound, they’ll be turning to rookie Connelly Early.</p><p>Early has only made four starts at the major league level. Still, Boston feels confident enough to give him the ball. However their gamble ends up playing out, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-fortunate-take-starting-game-3-yankees">Red Sox starter will be making history</a> when he takes to the mound.</p><p>At 23 year and 182 days old, Early <a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1973767972482400708" rel="noopener">will be the youngest pitcher</a> to start a Red Sox playoff game since Babe Ruth in 1916, via Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Furthermore, Game 3 will mark Early’s <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1973812931487006894" rel="noopener">first true major league road game</a>, as his first two outings away from Fenway Park came against the Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.</p><p>Of course, Early’s youth will cause some concern for the Red Sox, especially in their most crucial game of the year. However, his early work in the majors at least show why Boston is handing him the ball.</p><p>Over his four starts, Early has put up 2.79 ERA and a 29/4 K/BB ratio. He has never let up more than two runs in an outing and has at least seven strikeouts in three of his four games. Early hasn’t pitched more than 5.1 innings in a game, but Boston is hopeful a sturdy start will lead them to success.</p><p>Both team and pitcher seem confident with the assignment. How Early performs when the lights are brightest will determine the Red Sox’s season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox’s Connelly Early to accomplish feat not seen since Babe Ruth

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-fortunate-take-starting-game-3-yankees');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox’s Connelly Early drops ‘fortunate’ take on starting Game 3 vs. Yankees');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Connelly-Early_0f18cd.jpg"><figcaption>Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox’s Connelly Early drops ‘fortunate’ take on starting Game 3 vs. Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-02T07:21:29-07:00">October 2nd, 7:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-02T07:21:29-07:00">October 2nd, 7:21am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early has only made four regular season appearances over his brief MLB career. And yet, Boston is now trusting him in the team’s most important game of the year.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-game-3-yankees">Early will be the Red Sox’s starter</a> when the take on the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. Ironically enough, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-yankees-red-sox-game-3-pitching-matchup-not-seen-5-years">Yankees are also throwing a rookie</a> in Cam Schlitter. Whoever come out victorious not only moves on to the next round of playoffs, but gets supreme bragging rights over their biggest rival.</p><p>Early is well aware of the pressure that has been placed on his shoulders. But <a href="https://x.com/SmittyOnMLB/status/1973613326165815654" rel="noopener">he is embracing it</a> and ready to prove why the Red Sox are counting on him, via Christopher Smith of MassLive.</p><p>“Super fortunate to be in this spot and really happy the Red Sox trust me with the ball out there,” Early said.</p><p>Through his first four starts, Early put up a 2.33 ERA and a 29/4 K/BB ratio. He has at least seven strikeouts in three of his four outings, including 11 in his debut. Furthermore, Early has never allowed more than two runs in an appearance.</p><p>However, he also hasn’t pitched more than 5.1 innings. Both of his last outings resulted in loss, despite Early giving up just two runs a piece. And now, he’ll be pitching for Boston’s playoff life in enemy territory.</p><p>Still, the Red Sox like what they see in the rookie. He may be young, but Boston thinks he is ready for this moment. Once Game 3 is under way, both franchises will know if their rookie gamble will pay off.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox’s Connelly Early drops ‘fortunate’ take on starting Game 3 vs. Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-game-3-yankees');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early will break new ground with Game 3 start vs. Yankees');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Boston-Red-Sox-starting-pitcher-Connelly-Early.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early will break new ground with Game 3 start vs. Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-01T23:09:48-07:00">October 1st, 11:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-01T23:09:48-07:00">October 1st, 11:09pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Red Sox are turning to a rookie on one of baseball’s brightest stages.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-game-3-start"> Left-hander Connelly Early</a>, just 23-years-old, has been named the starter for Thursday’s decisive Game 3 of the New York Yankees vs. Red Sox American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.</p><p>This moment is historic. OptaSTATS took to X (formerly known as Twitter), highlighting <a href="https://x.com/OptaSTATS/status/1973568945660867016" rel="noopener">just how unprecedented</a> the assignment is.</p><p>“Connelly Early will be the first pitcher ever to start a winner-take-all postseason game within 30 days of his MLB debut.”</p><p>Early debuted on September 9, striking out 11 in his first start against the Athletics. Across four regular season outings, he posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Featuring a five-pitch mix with a standout changeup, the southpaw enters Game 3 with no experience against the Yankees but plenty of trust from manager Alex Cora.</p><p>The series has been tense. The Red Sox won Game 1, 3-1, behind Masataka Yoshida’s clutch single, but the Yankees evened things with a 4-3 win in Game 2 after Jarren Duran misplayed a ball in left and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored the decisive run. Boston’s bullpen was taxed in the loss, with seven pitchers used, making Early’s ability to work deep in Game 3 critical.</p><p>Early’s opponent is fellow rookie Cam Schlittler, who went 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA this season. With both clubs relying on young arms, the rivalry adds a new chapter of unpredictability this October.</p><p>For Boston, the stakes are massive. A win advances the Red Sox to the AL Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. A loss will fuel offseason questions about the pitching staff’s depth. The rotation has already been thinned by the absences of Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins, and Dustin May. For Early, success could fast-track him into the 2026 rotation as a foundational piece.</p><p>The AL Wild Card showdown doubles as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-alex-cora-pitching-plan-game-3-vs-yankees">referendum on the Red Sox youth movement</a>. Trusting a pitcher with less than a month of big-league service in a do-or-die postseason game is a massive gamble, but one that could redefine this postseason and Early’s career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early will break new ground with Game 3 start vs. Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-game-3-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early sends message on massive Game 3 start vs. Yankees');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250916_pmr_ra2_011.jpg"><figcaption>Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early sends message on massive Game 3 start vs. Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-01T19:29:52-07:00">October 1st, 7:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-01T19:29:52-07:00">October 1st, 7:29pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Red Sox are placing the fate of their 2025 season in the hands of a rookie. With the AL Wild Card Series tied 1-1, they’ll turn to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-connelly-early-franchise-record-debut">23-year-old southpaw rookie Connelly Early</a> as their Game 3 starter in Thursday’s elimination clash against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.</p><p>Early has made only four big league starts since his September debut, but he’s shown poise and command beyond his experience. The decision reflects manager Alex Cora’s confidence in his young arm and the need for innings after using seven pitchers in Game 2. With bullpen fatigue setting in, the Red Sox need Early to deliver.</p><p>The matchup adds another layer of tension to the Yankees vs. Red Sox rivalry. Both teams are relying on rookies in Game 3, with the Yankees starting Cam Schlittler. Boston is hoping Early’s calm demeanor carries over into the biggest outing of his life.</p><p>Yankees Videos, the official SNY affiliate page, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to showcase the 23-year-old speaking about what this moment means to him. The clip captured the rookie’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-masataka-yoshida-clutch-hit-vs-yankees" rel="noopener">composed mindset ahead</a> of the biggest start of his life.</p><p>“Connelly Early says he’s excited to make the Game 3 start for the Red Sox</p><p>Early, a top 10 prospect in Boston’s system, has four big league starts to his name”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Connelly Early says he's excited to make the Game 3 start for the Red Sox</p><p>Early, a top 10 prospect in Boston's system, has four big league starts to his name <a href="https://t.co/3W20Yi9P2S">pic.twitter.com/3W20Yi9P2S</a></p><p>— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) <a href="https://twitter.com/snyyankees/status/1973561493581914445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The video quickly sparked reaction. Some Yankees fans mocked his soft-spoken tone. Others saw quiet confidence from a pitcher unfazed by the pressure of the AL Wild Card Series. Either way, it struck a nerve.</p><p>As the Game 3 starter, Early will face one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups in front of one of its loudest crowds. For Boston, it’s a test of youth, trust, and execution.</p><p>One game will decide who advances. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-masataka-yoshida-clutch-hit-vs-yankees">For the rookie and the Red Sox</a>, the moment has arrived.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
58	2.33	29	1.09	1

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
58	2.33	29	1.09	1

Connelly Early

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Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early will break new ground with Game 3 start vs. Yankees

Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early sends message on massive Game 3 start vs. Yankees

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