We Have A Wild Babe Ruth Stat To Get Us Ready For Red Sox/Yankees Winner-Take-All Game 3

Here we go. 

I'm not sure this stat will have any impact on tonight's game, but it's certainly pretty wild.  

Connelly Early is a hard-throwing lefty whose teammates call "electric." With 29 strikeouts in 19.1 innings to start his career, opposing batters might agree. 

Boston Globe. Getty Images.

This will be just the fifth start of his career, and I'm not really sure how anyone can predict how he responds to a win-or-go-home Game 3 in New York. This is why the Lucas Giolito injury was so significant - he's a veteran with playoff experience - and I'd feel better if he was getting the start tonight for Boston. 

The rookie thing is also lingering with the Yankees' Cam Schlittler. He's made more starts than Early, but how he responds to the pressure of Game 3 is also a HUGE question. 

John Angelillo. Shutterstock Images.

Per MLB.com, this will be the third-youngest meeting of starting pitchers EVER in the postseason. 

1. 2020 NLCS G7, Ian Anderson (ATL) and Dustin May (LAD): 45.6 years
   Anderson (22 yrs, 169 days); May (23 yrs, 42 days)
2. 1997 ALDS G5, Jaret Wright (CLE) and Andy Pettitte (NYY): 47.1 years
   Wright (21 yrs, 281 days); Pettitte (25 yrs, 113 days)
3. 2025 ALWC G3, Cam Schlittler (NYY) and Connelly Early (BOS): 48.2 years
   Schlittler (24 yrs, 239 days); Early (23 years, 182 days)

So yeah, it's hard to be confident in what to expect from either starter. 

Here are three things I feel good about a few hours before a baseball game that will cap off what has been a fantastic series. 

1. Alex Cora > Aaron Boone
Boone stinks. Cora made a mistake trying to bunt Rafaela in Game 2, sure. Before last night's loss, the Sox were 5-0 in elimination games under the Red Sox manager. Boone has tried to lose both games of this series with dumb mistakes. If the game is close, I have MUCH more faith in the Red Sox manager. 

2. Sox Bullpen > Yankees Bullpen
Not having Whitlock stinks (I assume he's out after 47 pitches on Wednesday), but the Sox pen is much better equipped for an elimination game than the Yankees. Closer David Bednar has pitched three of the last days, and I wonder what he'll have late. The guys on Pick Central seem to think that Garrett Crochet might get a few outs - I don't see it. I factor Cora's management into the respective bullpens and it aids the Sox advantage. 

3. Yankees pressure > Red Sox pressure

FIFTEEN YEARS since a Yankees World Series. Boone under fire. Aaron Judge is still looking for a Championship … and a 2025 postseason home run. The Red Sox season will be a success even if they lose tonight - you can't say the same for the home team. 

The Red Sox have ended the Yankees' season the last three times they've met in the postseason. 

Let's hope they make it four tonight in New York.