The Red Sox lost 3-2 to the Reds in the opening series, despite Connelly Early's impressive start. Early, at 23 years and 360 days old, was the youngest pitcher to start one of the first three Red Sox games of the year since Jeff Sellers in 1987 and the youngest left-hander since Billy Rohr in the 1967 Impossible Dream season. He pitched 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball, with five hits, two walks and six strikeouts, on a career-high 96 pitches. Early's performance put him in conversation with baseball legend Babe Ruth. However, the Red Sox failed to maintain traffic on the bases and managed just three hits off Rhett Lowder in five innings.