Four wild stats from Connelly Early's dazzling MLB debut with Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

If you stayed up late to watch Connelly Early’s major league debut, you witnessed history in West Sacramento.

Thin on pitching depth amid multiple injuries in their starting rotation, the Boston Red Sox promoted the 23-year-old left-hander from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday night to start against the Athletics.

And all Early did was deliver one of his best pitching performances at any level.

Early, the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s system entering Tuesday, pitched five scoreless innings in the Red Sox’ 6-0 win, allowing just five hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts. Early showcased a filthy sweeping curveball and a mid-90s fastball while striking out 52 percent of the batters he faced.

How dominant was Early in his MLB debut? Here are four stats that put his impressive night into perspective:

Topping a Red Sox all-time leaderboard

Early’s 11 punch-outs tied Don Aase for the most strikeouts ever by a Red Sox pitcher in his MLB debut. Here’s the company Early joined, which also features 2007 World Series champion Daisuke Matsuzaka:

• Connelly Early: 11 (2025)
• Don Aase: 11 (1977)
• Daisuke Matsuzaka: 10 (2007)
• Dave Morehead: 10 (1963)
• Marty McHale: 10 (1910)

A few fun facts about Don Aase, via The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham: Aase never recorded more than eight strikeouts in a game after his debut, and was traded after the 1977 for a second baseman named Jerry Remy.

In the company of a Hall of Famer

According to Underdog’s Justin Havens, only three players in MLB history have allowed zero runs and one or fewer walks while striking out 10 or batters in their big-league debut.

One is Early. The second is Steve Woodard, who debuted for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1997. The third is Hall of Famer and 10-time All-Star Juan Marichal.

Ironically, all three players pitched for the Red Sox — Woodard in 2003 and Marichal in 1974.

An MLB first

According to Opta Stats, Early is the first pitcher in MLB’s modern era to have a debut in which he:

• Threw at least 5.0 shutout innings
• Walked one batter or fewer
• Struck out more than half the batters he faced

It’s worth noting that the A’s don’t exactly have a cupcake lineup; while they’re in last place in the American League West, they rank fifth in all of baseball in team batting average (.254) and home runs (199).

A personal best

This might be the craziest stat: Per the Athletics’ media relations team, Early’s 11 strikeouts were his most in any game since at least high school.

Early’s highest strikeout total in the minors was 10, set during a Sept. 2 start for the Triple-A WooSox. He struck out 10 batters on two separate occasions at the University of Virginia, but never reached 11 Ks.

That’s all to say Early lit it up in his MLB debut — and earned a spot in the Red Sox’ rotation until further notice.

Fellow rookie Payton Tolle, who was called up two weeks ago, will get the start in Wednesday’s series finale vs. the A’s at 3:35 p.m. ET.

It was picture day at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, one of those quaint baseball traditions that has endured long past its usefulness.

So the team set up three rows of aluminum risers in shallow center field and the players, wearing impossibly white uniforms, filed out of the clubhouse just before 3 p.m., passing up batting practice to pose for the cameras. For a sport that thrives on routine, the afternoon had a unique last-day-of-school vibe.

“It's a weird day," manager Dave Roberts agreed.

But picture day also serves to bring the end of the season into tighter focus since it usually happens in the final three weeks. And the players who climb those risers are the ones who will decide the team’s postseason fate.

That was especially true for the Dodgers, who rode another splendid pitching performance — this one from Emmet Sheehan — to a 7-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Sheehan, bidding for a spot in the playoff rotation, was backed by four homers, including a pair of solo shots from Teoscar Hernández, who had his first three-hit night in more than a month.

The win, the team’s third in a row, coupled with San Diego’s loss to Cincinnati, expanded the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to two games over the second-place Padres with just 17 left to play.

“It’s getting down to the wire,” Roberts said.

Read more:Strong rehab outing could put Roki Sasaki back in Dodgers' postseason roster contention

The Dodgers’ starting pitching is already in postseason form, posting a 1.41 ERA over the past five games. On Tuesday it was Sheehan’s turn on the mound and he set down the first 15 Rockies in order, becoming the third Dodger starter in four games to take a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

He wound up scattering three hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out nine to earn his fourth victory in five decisions. The win was also Sheehan’s fourth victory in as many appearances against Colorado.

Roberts said his team’s starting pitchers are all competing to one-up each other, giving the significance of the games now.

“They're feeding off one another,” he said. “The pitchers are of the mind that these are very, very important games. It's kind of the playoff mentality. The catchers are calling games in that vein.

“The defense has been really focused getting off the baseball. There's a heightened level of focus across the board.”

That even spread to the offense, said Mookie Betts, whose two-run home run in the third extended his streak of reaching base safely to 15 straight games.

“It's really neat being on this side,” Betts, who had multiple RBIs for a fourth straight game, said of watching the Dodger pitchers work. “If you kind of take a step back and look at it, there's a lot of teams that would ask for something like this. Those guys give us opportunity to win every day.

“It's really important for us as on the offensive side not to take that for granted.”

Although the Dodgers entered Tuesday second to last in the majors with an average of 3.14 runs a game in September, against Colorado starter Germán Márquez (3-13), whose ERA (6.31) looks more like a mortgage rate, they ran out to a 5-0 lead after five innings. As a result the focus turned to Sheehan, who needed just 59 pitches to cruise through five perfect innings, striking out five.

“I probably knew,” Sheehan, pitching on the 60^th anniversary of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, said when asked if he was aware he was more than halfway to matching that. “But I was definitely not thinking about it.”

Read more:Hernández: Can starting pitching carry the Dodgers in October? Dave Roberts may not have a choice

The right-hander said he tried to cross the Rockies up by moving away from his fastball and going with a slider to the glove side instead.

“I felt like I was executing the slider pretty well,” he said. “The more I throw it, the easier it gets to get it to that spot. It's an important pitch for me.”

Kyle Karros ended the suspense when he lined Sheehan’s first pitch of the sixth inning over a leaping Max Muncy at third for a single. Two more singles brought Karros around to score, ending the shutout as well.

Still Sheehan (6-3) was more than good enough to win for the fourth time in five decisions, lowering his ERA to 3.32 and forcing his way into the conversation over a role on the postseason roster.

“He's unflappable,” Roberts said. “He knows he's talented and he knows how to execute pitches. He's got good stuff. No moment is too big for him. So I can't speak to what role, but I know that he's a viable option for us now and going forward.”

Tuesday’s win also left Sheehan unbeaten on picture day, something he nearly skipped as the scheduled starting pitcher.

“I wasn't going go out there,” he said. “But I was like, I missed the last two. I gotta be out there.”

After all, it's a tradition.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Aaron Judge provided the one bright spot for the Yankees on Tuesday night in The Bronx.

In the first inning of what would ultimately be a 12-2 loss to the Tigers, Judge launched a one-out solo homer that not only gave the Yankees an early 1-0 lead, but gave him career home run 359, surpassing the great Yogi Berra for fifth-most in franchise history. 

"The last few years with what Aaron’s done in this league and the seasons he’s had, he’s been in some rarified air," manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "There’s been some impressive lists or names he’s next to, but when you see a career list like that with this organization and where he is right now in the center of it, it’s pretty awesome."

The Yankees have had the same top five home run hitters in their franchise since Aug. 7, 1957. Babe Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536), Lou Gehrig (493), Joe DiMaggio (361) and Berra (358) made up that list for more than 50 years, but now Judge's name is at the top with those Yankees legends.

When he was asked about it after the game, Judge said his first thought was on what it meant for Tuesday's game, but he appreciates the company he has joined.

"Passing Yogi is pretty special. All-time great Yankee. What he meant to this organization, even when he was done playing, being around, the stories we heard. He's the definition of a true Yankee," he said. "Any time you're on a list with a guy like that, it's pretty remarkable."

As remarkable as the accomplishment is, the feeling after the loss was less so. The Yankees got out to an early 2-0 lead but were in position to potentially win the game entering the seventh inning tied at 2-2. But the combination of Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. allowed nine runs without recording an out, and put Tuesday's game out of reach.

Despite the performance, Judge believes in the Yankees' bullpen and chalks it up to a bad game.

"It's just not going our way," he said. "Especially the guys we brought out of the bullpen, I trust every single one of those guys. They've gotten a lot of big outs for us, especially Cruzer and Leiter. Just didn't get it done there and put us in a bad spot. But we just gotta show up tomorrow, do our thing, and we'll be where we need to be."

The Yankees continue their three-game set with the Tigers on Wednesday, hoping to draw even in the series and stay within reach of the Blue Jays for the AL East crown.

.@martinonyc joins @mmargaux8 after the Yankees' loss to the Tigers to discuss the issues with the Yankees' bullpen and Aaron Judge passing Yogi Berra for fifth on the Yankees' all-time home run list: pic.twitter.com/cAWepuo4Pu

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 10, 2025

Things are getting a little tense for the Mets. 

Outside of their young arms, their starting pitching continues to struggle.  

Tuesday, it was Sean Manaea’s turn; he allowed the Phillies to strike for four runs over the first two innings before settling into a nice groove, but it was enough to raise his ERA to 7.71 since the beginning of August. 

The recently red-hot offense has once again gone ice cold, as well.  

Philadelphia lefty Ranger Suárez struck out nine of the first 12 batters he faced and held the Mets without a hit over the first five innings on Tuesday, before allowing a leadoff single to Brandon Nimmo.

Suárez finished the night with a career-high 12 punchouts in six scoreless frames.

New York was able to show some sign of life against the Phillies’ bullpen, but a Mark Vientos error and a big ninth inning sunk them, as they suffered their second straight loss to the first place division rival. 

The Mets are now 3-5 on their current road trip with two games left, and like that, their hold on a playoff spot is starting to rapidly slip away. 

Any hope of the NL East title went out the window with Monday's loss to the Phillies, and by the end of Tuesday night, their lead for the third NL Wild Card spot could be down to as many as 2.0 games.

They do luckily hold the tiebreaker over the next closest team, the surging Giants, but in the midst of a four-game losing streak with just 17 to play, is Carlos Mendoza growing worried? 

“We’re good,” the skipper said. “But we gotta play better and we’ve got to fight. We’re in the middle of it, there’s no time to feel sorry, we've got to fight -- what’s in the past is in the past and we’ve got to take it one day at a time.

“We continue to trust and believe in those guys. There’s a lot of experience, a lot of talent and good players in that room -- we’ve been through adversity before as a group, we’ve got to find a way and we will.”

Their next opportunity to get things right comes against another tough Phillies left-hander in Cristopher Sanchez on Wednesday night.

The Mets have received a nice boost from their young arms over the past few games, but they are going to need their veterans to step up down the stretch. 

Tuesday was Sean Manaea’s opportunity to turn the tide, however, the struggles continued for the left-hander.  Manaea retired the first two batters he faced, but then the next three Phillies reached safely, capped off by a Nick Castellanos two-run double down the left field line. 

He picked off a batter to almost work through a clean second, but with two outs Otto Kemp and Harrison Bader lifted back-to-back solo shots to make it a four-run ballgame. 

Manaea showed some frustration in-between innings, but after having a discussion with Carlos Mendoza down in the tunnel he came back and settled into a nice groove. 

“I just said screw it, can’t get any worse. Just let go and started to pitch,” Manaea said.

With the new mentality, he retired the next seven batters he faced before issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth -- that runner would advance into scoring position but was stranded when Bryce Harper struck out to end the inning and Manaea's night. 

His strong finish closed his line with four runs allowed on five hits and a walk over five innings of work. 

“He was showing a little frustration, but you have to fight,” Mendoza said. “I’m glad that he was able to respond to it there, I was proud of him for that. I think that’s the messaging for all of us right now, we’re going through it, but we have to fight.”

Certainly strong stretch to build off of, but overall still wasn’t good enough. 

Manaea has now allowed four or more earned runs in six of his last seven outings, which has brought his ERA up to an ugly mark of 5.76 for the season.

Still, the Mets will continue to lean on him as a key piece in their rotation down the stretch.

“This is a guy that we’re counting on,” the skipper said. “He was huge for us all year last year, I know it’s been a struggle for him of late and obviously he is frustrated too, but we’re going to need this guy -- we brought him here to make an impact.

“Our job is to continue to help him. Obviously the last three innings tonight were a lot better, hopefully he can take some positives out of this outing from that.”

The Yankees' bullpen allowed nine runs in the seventh inning as New York fell to the Tigers, 12-2, on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

The combination of Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. gave up the nine runs on four hits and four walks in an inning that saw every Tigers hitter score.

After the Blue Jays' win, the Yankees (80-64) are now three games behind Toronto for first place in the AL East.

Here are the takeaways...

-Aaron Judge got the Yankees' scoring started with a solo shot in the first. It's Judge's 359th blast of his career, passing Yogi Berra for fifth in Yankees franchise history.

Cody Bellinger joined Judge in the home run party, launching his own solo shot in the fourth to put the Yankees up 2-0. 

-Will Warren was cruising against Detroit early on, allowing just one baserunner across the first four innings, retiring 11 straight batters at one point. But a leadoff walk in the fifth and a two-run shot to Parker Meadows knotted the game at 2-2.

Warren finished strong, getting through six innings (91 pitches/59 strikes), allowing just the two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out five batters.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, the bullpen imploded. Cruz allowed two runs on two hits and three walks and did not record an out. He was pulled with the bases loaded and no outs before Aaron Boone brought in Leiter Jr. The right-hander got a shallow fly ball from Trey Sweeney, but it dropped just out of the reach of Anthony Volpe's glove, which pushed the Tigers' lead to 5-2. A hit-by-pitch, walk, wild pitch and a triple spelled the end of Leiter's night as he was pulled without getting an out.

Tim Hill came in and mercifully got through the seventh, allowing just one hit, but the score, 2-2 entering the inning, ballooned to 11-2. Here's how the bullpen fared in that seventh inning:

• Cruz: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB
• Leiter Jr.: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP
• Hill: 1.0, 1 H, 1 BB

According to Katie Sharp, this is the first time in Yankees history that two relievers allowed four-plus runs without recording an out in a game.

Paul Blackburn saved the bullpen by pitching the final two innings, allowing two hits, one walk and one unearned run while striking out three batters.

-Volpe's rough stretch continued on Tuesday. After striking out looking in his first at-bat, Volpe came up with runners on first and second and no out in the fifth. He tried to get the bunt down, but eventually popped out to third base in foul territory. Volpe was booed by the crowd as he walked back to the dugout. Ryan McMahon struck out and Trent Grisham popped out on a 3-0 count to end the threat. It would be the last inning the Yankees had a chance to score any runs. The Yankees had just four hits and no walks while striking out 12 times. 

Volpe finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

-Gleyber Torres returned to the Bronx for the first time since signing with the Tigers in the offseason. He received a nice ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd in his first at-bat, and the second baseman acknowledged the fans with a hat tip. Torres would hit a ground-rule double in his first AB. He also received a tribute video from the team, showcasing his accomplishments in pinstripes.

Torres finished 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.

Game MVP: Parker Meadows

Meadows' two-run shot tied the game and was a part of that seventh-inning bludgeoning. He finished 3-for-5 with three RBI

Highlights

Aaron Judge is 5th on the Yankees' all-time home run list, passing Yogi Berra! 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZfmoeIy1Ra

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 9, 2025

Trent Grisham makes the leaping catch at the wall! 💪 pic.twitter.com/i2vNOno2p7

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 9, 2025

CODY BELLINGER VISITS THE SECOND DECK pic.twitter.com/DTOpmzg1Qy

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 10, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Tigers play the middle game of their three-game set on Wednesday evening. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Carlos Rodon (16-7, 3.12 ERA) will take the mound against Jack Flaherty (7-13, 4.85 ERA).

The Mets were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

New York has now lost four in a row. 

Here are some takeaways...

- Sean Manaea retired the first two batters of the night, but his recent struggles continued from there. He gave up a two-out two-run double to Nick Castellanos in the first, then served up back-to-back shots to Otto Kemp and Harrison Bader in the second. 

After heading into the tunnel to talk with Carlos Mendoza in between innings, Manaea was able to settle into a groove, retiring the next seven hitters he faced before issuing a leadoff walk to Kemp in the fifth. Philly pushed him into scoring position, but Manaea struck out Bryce Harper to strand him there. 

The southpaw finished with a line of four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three over five innings. 

- The Mets' offensive struggles continued in their first meeting with Ranger Suárez this season. The southpaw held them hitless until Brandon Nimmo led off the fifth with a single up the middle, but that was quickly erased with a Starling Marte double play ball. 

Suárez allowed just four baserunners and struck out a career-high 12 batters in six shutout innings. 

- New York was finally able to get on the board when they got into the Phillies' bullpen. Mark Vientos led off the top of the seventh with a laser-beam solo shot to deep right off of David Robertson, snapping a 15-inning scoreless streak.

- Philly answered right back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a Vientos error, though. Kyle Schwarber officially put this one to bed, lifting a monstrous three-run homer off of Justin Hagenman to the deepest part of the ballpark, making him the second player in franchise history with 50 in a season. 

- Jose Siri scored the Mets' second run in his first game back in five months. He laced a double high and deep off the right-center fence, and then came around two batters later on Juan Soto's RBI single -- it was just Siri's second hit as a Met. 

Soto swiped third a few pitches later, giving him his first 30/30 season, and the fifth in franchise history. 

- Francisco Alvarez snapped a 0-for-12 skid with a double in the top of the ninth. It was just the young backstops second hit since returning from the injured list.  

- The Mets' lead for the third Wild Card spot is now down to 2.5 games with 17 to play. 

Game MVP: Ranger Suárez

The southpaw was absolutely spectacular, holding the Mets to just one hit while setting a new career-high in strikeouts (12). 

Highlights

Mark Vientos hits his 17th homer of the season pic.twitter.com/GW3klzKeYo

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 10, 2025

Juan Soto drives in Jose Siri for his 94th RBI of the season pic.twitter.com/IbT5YGjlme

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 10, 2025

What's next

The Mets send out Clay Holmes (11-7, 3.61 ERA) as they look to end the skid against Cristopher Sanchez (12-5, 2.60 ERA) on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.