Payton Tolle Became One Of Most Colorful Characters In MLB This Year And Is The Perfect Guy To Start Game 1 Against The Yankees And Cam Schlittler
A relatively unknown 22-year-old lefty named Payton Tolle faced one batter in the 2025 MLB Playoffs. He got Trent Grisham to ground out to end the 8th inning in an eventual 4-3 Red Sox loss to the Yankees.
A year later, Tolle is one of the most colorful characters in baseball - and he's getting the start in Game 1 of a best-of-three in New York against his team's biggest rival.
Manager Crad Tracy made the right call; Tolle 100% earned the ball in the series opener. Look at this -
You don't have to be a stats nerd to know that alllllllllllllllll the bright red on his Baseball Savant page tells the story. Over 26 starts, he posted a 9-6 record and a 3.03 ERA. He clocked 171Ks in just 148 2/3 innings. He was so good this year he made Connelly Early - who actually started Game 3 against the Yankees last year in the postseason - expendable.
Quite simply, he was one of the rookies in baseball this season and had one of the best Year 1s of any Red Sox pitcher ever.
He was also an absolute joy to watch pitch. My friend Kirk mocked this about Tolle recently, but it's true. He plays with an energy that's pretty rare for MLB in 2026.
I'm a pretty cynical, grizzled sports fan at this point, but I don't think there's anything forced or fake about the way he goes about his job as a pitcher for the Red Sox.
You saw it way back in spring training when he gave his team a presentuation on the United States before the WBC, even getting Joey Chestnut on the phone to get the Sox pumped up.
He's not getting the start because he's funny on the mound - he's starting because he had a great season. And he shoved against the Yankees this season, allowing just one run over two starts and striking out 18 (!!!).
Sonny Gray is the veteran and had a very good season. I saw some Red Sox fans complaining Gray is not getting the call on Tuesday. But Game 1 is crucial - since the current best-of-3 Wild Card format began in 2022, Game 1 winners have taken 15 of 16 series (93.8%).
Tolle, at his best, gives the Red Sox the best chance to beat Cam Schlittler.
For a guy who doesn't care what people are saying about him online, Cam Schlittler sure talks a lot about what people are saying about him online.
About 30 hours before his scheduled start in Game 1 against the Red Sox, the Yankees ace was once again talking about the social media battle between himself and Red Sox fans.
I can't keep up with Cam. Is he ignoring the haterzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz or is he using their posts for motivation????
A reminder: Cam was the reply guy in NESN's Lucy Burdge posts last year. A reminder: Cam was the one tweeting about drinking that "dirty water" after he beat the Red Sox last season.
And it was Cam who was all worried about his start earlier this year at Fenway.
"It's gonna be bad, it's gonna be bad," he said. "I'm not nervous about it, but it's gonna be loud," Schlittler told the Post. "They're gonna probably have dudes that are my age or a little bit younger, sitting right outside the [visiting] bullpen, yelling whatever, probably throwing stuff at me, trying to grab me. That's kind of what I expect. So I know the guys are excited for it and I'm excited for it."
Surprise, nothing to worry about.
Fans can crowd up against parts of the visitors’ bullpen at Fenway Park, and the Yankees’ two team security guards joined an already beefed-up security presence around the bullpen as the 25-year-old prepared for his first start in Boston.
But there wasn’t much to worry about. The Athletic watched Schlittler’s warmup from the stands and heard mostly good-natured heckling from the few Red Sox fans who were in the bleachers nearby. Mostly, Schlittler was surrounded by fans wearing Yankees caps who left him alone.
Again, he seems to create some of these battles in his brain. Maybe it helps him get focused? Didn't hurt him this year - he was awesome. Tuesday shouldn't be a game he or anyone else needs motivation for.
Red Sox v. Yankees.
Tolle v. Schlittler
Sunshine and happiness v. Satan, per my podcast partner Hodgale.
Buckle up.