A decisive Game 3 between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees started as a pitchers’ duel between two young, inexperienced starters. For one, success was fleeing.
23-year-old Red Sox starter Connelly Early struggled the second time through the Yankees’ lineup, allowing four runs (three earned) with admittedly little help from his defense.
As the Yankees’ offense gained momentum and the crowd grew louder, Cora wasn’t quick to pull Early from the game despite so many managers around baseball giving their much more experienced starters a quick hook during the postseason. Cora quickly came under fire on social media for his hesitance to remove Early.
Here’s what you need to know about Cora’s decision in Game 3.
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Why did Alex Cora leave Connelly Early in?
In a scene that differed greatly from the Chicago Cubs pulling starter Jameson Taillon after four shutout innings in an earlier Game 3 on Thursday, Cora kept Early in the game even after the Yankees put four runs on the board in the fourth inning.
Five of the first six batters Early faced in the fourth inning reached base on three singles, one double and a walk, though Cody Bellinger’s leadoff double came on a ball that looked like it should have been caught. Cora didn’t get any reliever up in the bullpen until after Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the Yankees their third hit of the inning and loaded the bases.
The Yankees’ third and fourth runs came on a sharp ground ball that was ruled an error by Nathaniel Lowe, but like the hitters who came to the plate before him, Austin Wells hit the ball hard. Cora left Early in even after the error, only coming out of the game after getting Trent Grisham to fly out for the second out.
Early struck out six and walked one in what was initially an impressive start for such an inexperienced arm, but he finished his night with a line of three earned runs allowed on six hits in 3.2 innings.
Connelly Early:
First 3 innings: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 Ks
4th inning: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K
Was brilliant but it just fell apart after the popup fell in to begin the 4th. Lotta soft contact and his defense didn’t help him worth a lick.pic.twitter.com/XpFh817uPp
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) October 3, 2025
Asked by the ESPN broadcast what he thought went wrong for Early, Cora said, “We didn’t play defense behind him.” Cora did admit the Yankees “hit the ball hard,” but he seemed to sympathize with his rookie starter.
Early likely faced Wells and Grisham because Cora preferred the lefty-on-lefty matchup. The metrics presumably pointed to Early being the best option in those matchups, and the circumstances of an elimination game potentially unraveling on the road weren’t enough to move Cora off of his stance.
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Connelly Early stats vs. Yankees
- Innings: 3.2
- Runs: 4
- Earned runs: 3
- Walks: 1
- Strikeouts: 6
- Pitches: 78
Early allowed three earned runs and four total runs in 3.2 innings, walking one and striking out six. He threw 78 pitches before Cora lifted him in the fourth inning.
