Athletics finally break through against Connelly Early; edge Red Sox

Brett Harris collected the go-ahead RBI and the duo of Mitch Spence and Hogan Harris pitched five innings of shutout relief, leading the visiting Athletics to a 2-1 series-opening win over Boston on Tuesday night.

BY FIELD LEVEL MEDIA

Sep 17, 2025, 8:40 AM Updated: 12:38 pm

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Brett Harris collected the go-ahead RBI single in a two-run sixth inning and the duo of Mitch Spence and Hogan Harris pitched five innings of shutout relief, leading the visiting Athletics to a 2-1 series-opening win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

The Athletics (71-80) were unable to score in the first five innings of Boston starter Connelly Early’s second career outing before going for two runs on three hits in the sixth en route to their fifth straight win. Harris (2-for-4) and Tyler Soderstrom (2-for-2, RBI, run) both recorded multiple hits.

A’s starter Jeffrey Springs allowed one unearned run on five hits across the first four innings. Spence (3-5) was the winner following 3 2/3 innings of shutout, one-hit relief.

Harris recorded the final four outs, using a game-ending double play to erase Ceddanne Rafaela from the bases following a one-out single in the ninth. The save was his third of the season.

Trevor Story went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases for Boston (82-69), becoming the fourth player to begin a season 30-for-30 in steal attempts since MLB’s expansion era began in 1961. Philadelphia’s Trea Turner accomplished the feat in 2023.

Story had three of Boston’s eight total hits.

The Red Sox failed to score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the second inning.

Early allowed one run on five hits and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings.

Jacob Wilson ignited the A’s scoring frame with a leadoff infield single, but after Early and Greg Weissert (6-6) each posted a strikeout, Soderstrom’s pinch-hit, run-scoring double off the left-field wall knotted the score. Following a walk to Carlos Cortes, Harris notched the go-ahead RBI single into the left-field corner.

Early picked up where he left off in last week’s five-inning, 11-strikeout performance, fanning the final batter in the first two innings and completing five frames before allowing his career earned run. In the second, the southpaw also picked Colby Thomas off first base.

An inning later, the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead when Rob Refsnyder scored on Narvaez’s two-out double. Refsnyder came around third after A’s center fielder Lawrence Butler bobbled the ball on the warning track.

In a shutdown fourth, Early stranded two baserunners with the help of Rafaela’s inning-ending catch, as the centerfielder went sprinting into the left-center gap to take a hit away from Darell Hernaiz.

–Field Level Media

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The Athletics are by no means easy prey.

They completed their sixth series sweep this season with a 7-4 Sunday win over the Cincinnati Reds. Their 28-18 record since July 24 — the third-best mark in MLB — includes a current four-game win streak, sparked by a 5-4, walk-off win over the Red Sox last Wednesday.

Four home runs led the A’s on Sunday, including Nick Kurtz’s rookie-best 32nd. A night earlier, the first baseman and last year’s No. 4 overall pick hit a 493-foot grand slam in the eighth inning — the longest home run in MLB this season.

“He can hit it out no matter where you throw it. Up, down, in, out,” A’s center fielder Lawrence Butler said. “You might as well just put him on first base. It’s insane what he’s doing.”

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