BOSTON -- If Mariners DH Dominic Canzone didn’t already know it, he knows it now: Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle is a hugger.
While Tolle’s hugs are usually reserved for his teammates -- particularly Garrett Whitlock -- when he returns to the dugout between innings, he decided to show some affection in mid-play on Monday night at Fenway Park.
With one out in the top of the third inning, Canzone tapped a 51 mph chopper in front of the mound. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Tolle pounced on the comebacker and sprinted to the first-base line to cut off Canzone at the pass.
Tolle stepped in front of Canzone a little more than halfway down the line, and the two players stopped.
Tolle then opened his arms wide before wrapping them around Canzone, tagging him out at the same time. Canzone put his right arm around Tolle and smiled, and then headed back to the dugout.
“It just kind of happened,” said Tolle. “I was right there in front of him, and I was like, ‘Bring it in for the big one.’”
Did Tolle ever meet Canzone before the hug?
“No, but we do [know each other] now,” Tolle said.
Canzone must have been caught by surprise, right?
“I mean, probably for a second,” Tolle said. “But then it's like, ‘Yeah, this is just going to happen.’”
It was another genuine display of the 23-year-old Tolle being one of the most entertaining characters in the game.
The hug came just after Tolle had allowed a towering homer to Randy Arozarena to cut Boston’s lead to 3-2.
But Tolle shook off the adversity quickly and had a light moment with Canzone, which aligns with his determination to always enjoy the privilege of playing in the Major Leagues.
When Trevor Story, who ended Boston’s 9-8 win with a walk-off single, was asked about the hug, he had to think for a second.
“The guy gives hugs all the time, so I'm not sure which one you're talking about,” quipped Story. “But yeah, that was funny, man. Payton's just a special person. He plays the game like a little kid, which I feel like we all should.”