Connelly Early tosses three scoreless innings in Nationals return vs. Mets
The short version
- Early threw three scoreless innings against the Mets, allowing one hit with one strikeout and no walks.
- His strikeout came on a sweeper to A.J. Ewing, his first in a Nationals uniform.
- It was his first big-league appearance in three months, and he worked on a pitch count after missing time with injury.
- Early finished his rookie season with a 3.33 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 94.1 innings.
- Washington acquired Early in the deadline deal that sent Curtis Mead out of the organization.
Back on a big-league mound for the first time in three months, the 24-year-old held the Mets to one hit over three scoreless innings at Nationals Park.
Connelly Early returned to a major-league mound Saturday and made a strong first impression with the Washington Nationals. Facing the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 26, the 24-year-old worked three scoreless innings on a pitch count. He allowed one hit, struck out one and did not issue a walk.
It was Early's first time in a big-league game in three months. He missed time with injury this season and could not fully build back up, which is why the outing came with a pitch count. His love for the game was a big reason he pushed to pitch again before the season ended. Afterward, he called the mound a "place of peace" and said the joy he gets from pitching has not changed, even in a different uniform.
Early's strikeout came on a sweeper to A.J. Ewing, his first in a Nationals uniform. He attacked the strike zone and showed his full pitch mix in the outing. Even without sharp execution, he moved through the Mets lineup with relative ease, generating soft contact and getting whiffs when he needed them.
Early graded his stuff as "alright" in his own review of the outing. He felt the shape of his pitches was where he wanted it, but was less satisfied with how he located them. In particular, he believed his fastball could have been used more effectively at the top of the zone.
The changeup was an encouraging sign on the data side even though its command was off on the day. Early did not locate the pitch consistently, but it graded well on stuff models, where its very low spin rate and heavy movement stood out.
Early arrived in Washington as the headline acquisition of Paul Toboni's first trade deadline, in the deal that sent Curtis Mead out of the organization. Trading a bat the club valued highly reflected how the Nationals view their new pitcher. Blake Butera cited Early's maturity and confidence, traits he sees in the way the pitcher carries himself and interacts with teammates, and added that putting on more muscle could help Early add velocity.
The start closed a rookie season in which Early posted a 3.33 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 94.1 innings, a positive year despite the injury absence. Durability is the stated next goal. Early has not yet made it through a full major-league season, and logging one is a target for next year. At 24, the organization believes he still has room to grow.
The Nationals host the Mets on Sunday, September 27, at 1:05 PM EDT at Nationals Park. The game is available on MLB.TV, Nationals.TV and SNY.
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