Connelly Early #71

Pitched at Army West Point (2020-21) and the University of Virginia (2023)...At UVA, earned All-America honors from NCBWA (First Team), Perfect Game (Second Team) and Collegiate Baseball (Third Team) in 2023...Tied the Virginia single-season record and was one of seven pitchers nationally to record 12 wins in 2023...Won back-to-back Patriot League Championships at Army in 2021-22...Voted Patriot League Player of the Year in 2022...Selected to the All-Patriot League First Team as a starter and the ABCA/Rawlings All-Northeast Region Second Team honors in 2022...Graduated from James River High School (Va.)...Notable MLB alumni include Vinnie Pasquantino.

2025

Started the season with Double-A Portland...Posted a 2.60 ERA (29 ER/100.1 IP) between 15 appearances (12 starts) for Double-A Portland and six starts for Triple-A Worcester...Allowed one hit over 5 IP on 5/24 vs. Reading (4 BB, 9 SO)...Tossed 6.0 hitless innings on 6/29 at Binghamton (3 BB, 7 SO)...In his Worcester debut, did not allow a run over 3.2 IP on 8/2 vs. LHV (2 H, 5 BB, 2 SO)...Struck out 10 batters for the first time in his pro career on 9/2 vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, his final Minor League start in 2025...Allowed three hits and one run over 6 IP...Selected from Triple-A Worcester on 9/9 and made his ML debut at ATH (5 IP, 5 H, BB, 11 SO)...The Red Sox scored four runs in the top of the first inning before he took the mound on 9/9...Became the first Red Sox pitcher to ever have four-plus runs of support prior to throwing their first career pitch (source: Elias)...Struck out seven over 5.1 IP in his second MLB start on 9/16 vs. ATH (5 H, R, HB)...Became the first pitcher with 10+ IP, 18+ SO, 1 or 0 R and one or zero walks in their first two career games, since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893 (source: Elias)...Became only the 20th player in MLB since 1901 to record at least 18 SO through two career starts (last: Paul Skenes’ 18 SO in 2024)...On 9/27 vs. DET, retired 13 straight batters after a leadoff single in the first inning, then allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in the fifth (5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 7 SO).