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Connelly Early reacts to making Red Sox Opening Day roster, earning spot in rotation
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- Connelly Early reacts to making Red Sox Opening Day roster, earning spot in rotation
FORT MYERS, Fla. — When Alex Cora called Connelly Early into the manager’s office at JetBlue Park, he was flanked by CBO Craig Breslow and pitching coach Andrew Bailey.
They all wanted to be in there when Early learned he’d earned a spot on Boston ’s Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old lefty will start the third Red Sox game of the season on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati .
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“(Cora) just told me that I had performed really well,” Early said on Tuesday morning in the home clubhouse. “(They are) giving me the shot to start on Sunday and just go from there. Have a good time with it and have fun with it.”
With a reeling rotation last September, Early was summoned to Boston for his first major league action. He made four regular season starts down the stretch, posting a 2.33 ERA, then got the ball for Game 3 of the ALDS in New York.
Since stepping off the mound at Yankee Stadium in that season-ending 4-0 loss last October, Early believes he’s made some significant progress.
“I would say I’ve grown in a lot of ways,” Early said. “I feel like I took the offseason very seriously. Just wanted to get stronger, get in a really good spot, get a little more durable, and come out here and showcase that throughout the spring.
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“(I’m) reading hitters’ swings a little bit. Knowing the game of baseball a little bit better. Slowing things down. I had a lot of conversations with other guys just on how they like to sequence pitches and stuff like that. Just more on the mental side of things for sure.”
In five Grapefruit League appearances, Early posted a 1.59 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 17 innings. Ultimately, Cora saw enough from the young lefty to award him the final spot in the rotation rather than veteran Johan Oviedo , who will open the season in the bullpen.
“I feel like (spring training) went really well,” Early said. “I felt confident out there. I was able to go on the road a lot and face a fair share of big league hitters. So I got to see their swings against me and figure out how I wanted to attack them.”
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