On April 6, Connelly Early made his first start of the season in front of 3,962 fans at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, Pennsylvania. Six months later, the Boston Red Sox's 23-year-old southpaw could be toeing the rubber in front of 47,000 hostile New York Yankees fans in a winner-take-all playoff game at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox received devastating news about right-hander Lucas Giolito on Monday (h/t @SmittyOnMLB), making their starting rotation for the best-of-three Wild Card Series a bit murkier. Giolito is dealing with an elbow issue and will not be on Boston's Wild Card roster after going 9-3 with a 3.03 ERA in his last 20 starts.
Ace Garrett Crochet got the ball in Game 1's 3-1 win over the Yankees, followed by Brayan Bello in Game 2. Boston manager Alex Cora has postponed naming a Game 3 starter (h/t @RochieWBZ) until the first two games of the series play out.
Cora also likely stopped short of naming a Game 3 starter as that carries the obvious implication that the Red Sox drop one of the first two games to the Yankees — a thought he does not need to plant inside the mind of his clubhouse. If there is a Game 3, Early is a viable candidate to get the ball in a game that will make or break Boston's playoff run.
Connelly Early's October Performance Could Make or Break Red Sox's Postseason
There are plenty of reasons as to why the Red Sox should feel confident in their first-year hurler if he has to make an October appearance.
Early has not allowed more than two earned runs in an appearance to begin his MLB career. His performance in September has not just been a flash in the pan. Across three levels in 2025, Early has posted an 11-5 record with a 2.56 ERA and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 119.2 innings pitched.
Since being drafted by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB draft, Early quickly ascended through the minor league ranks before earning a big league call-up at the beginning of September. He finally made his MLB debut on Sept. 9 in Sacramento against the Athletics, tying the Red Sox record for strikeouts in an MLB debut with 11.
If there is a Game 3 and Early does not get the ball, Cora could opt to go with a bullpen game instead. This decision could also be heavily influenced by Game 2. If Bello goes deep into his start, the Red Sox manager could be swayed by the number of fresh arms in the bullpen. If not, the rookie will be thrown into the fire.
If Early ends up pitching against the Yankees and succeeds, fans will feel a lot more confident in the Red Sox's outlook moving forward. Being able to count on him, Crochet, and Bello would give Cora three reliable starters to count on in the long haul, potentially making all the difference in whether or not the Red Sox will be World Series Champions.