Apr 15, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Connelly Early throws to the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Roman Anthony Says Red Sox’s Connelly Early Looks 'Different'

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 8:26 AM ET

The Boston Red Sox got just what they needed from Connelly Early on Wednesday afternoon.

Boston faced off against the Minnesota Twins in a series finale after dropping the first two contests, despite the fact that Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray took the mound. Crochet allowed 10 earned runs and 11 total runs across 1 2/3 innings of work in a loss. Sonny Gray allowed five earned runs across four innings of work in a loss.

The home run ball was a killer for both Crochet and Gray. Early on Wednesday, there was at least a bit of fear that it would be the same for Early. In the first inning of Wednesday's contest, Twins outfielder Austin Martin belted a homer off Early. Like the previous two games, that could've easily been a moment to snowball off. But Early got out of the inning with just the one run and then was electric from there.

The Red Sox Flamethrower Had Himself A Day

Overall, Early went six innings and allowed just one the one earned run and two base hits. He struck out five batters and his command was good and he walked just two batters. After the game, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony said that Early looks "different" out there and specifically that he looks like a 10-year veteran on the mound, despite just eight total regular season big league starts, as transcribed by MassLive.com's Christopher Smith.

"He looks different out there,” Anthony said, as transcribed by Smith. “He looks just so calm always. ... We saw what he did in his debut, and we saw how unfazed he was. He started in the postseason. It just looks different for a young guy like himself. He looks like he has 10 years."

That's certainly some praise you want to hear. Early is 24 years old. He had a meteoric rise to the majors last season that was very surprising. He went from Double-A Portland to starting a playoff game between the Red Sox and New York Yankees. You would think there would be some rookie nerves or something like that. But, no. As Anthony pointed out, Early is "different." Boston lost two straight with All-Stars on the mound in Crochet and Gray and the Twins were red-hot entering Wednesday's contest. It didn't matter. Early still allowed just two base hits.

Early has made four starts this season and actually has been the Red Sox's best starting pitcher. He has a 2.29 ERA across 19 2/3 innings of work. This is a guy who wasn't even guaranteed to make the big league roster out of Spring Training. But he pitched so well that he gave the club a difficult decision to make. Rather than simply putting Johan Oviedo in the starting rotation because they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates this past offseason, Boston went with the hot hand in Early and the decision has looked like the right one.

If he can keep this up, Boston's rotation is going to be very good for a long time. He is just 24 years old. Crochet has a long-term deal already. Ranger Suárez has a long-term deal. Brayan Bello has a long-term deal. Payton Tolle is down in Triple-A and will help this team at some point. There are pieces here in Boston to have a very good rotation for a long time, barring health.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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