NEW YORK -- The Payton Tolle show, which has included dominant pitching, hugs for countless teammates (and one unsuspecting opponent while recording an out) and even an in-game pushup, will hit the grand stage of Yankee Stadium in Tuesday night’s Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series.
At a Monday press conference, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy announced rookie lefty Tolle as his choice to counter Yankees fireballing ace Cam Schlittler in the latest postseason series between the rivals.
It was Schlittler who sent the Red Sox home for the season last year with his electric performance in Game 3.
In the 23-year-old Tolle, the Red Sox think they have the caliber of pitcher who can match New York’s AL Cy Young Award favorite.
“Just felt like with his power stuff, that that was the best choice for Game 1,” said Tracy.
With the Game 1 nod, Tolle (at 23 years, 332 days old) will become the 3rd-youngest pitcher in Red Sox history to start the first game of a playoff run. He will only be behind Smoky Joe Wood (22 years, 349 days old) and Babe Ruth (23 years, 211 days old) when they started Game 1 of the 1912 and 1918 World Series.
All season, Tolle has come through for the Red Sox in big spots. And in two starts against the Yankees this season, Tolle went 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA, walking three, striking out 18 and holding New York to an .093 batting average.
The Red Sox could have gone with veteran ace Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72 ERA) as the choice for Game 1, and few would have second-guessed it.
But Boston’s brass went with their fearless 23-year-old, who leads the league in fun. It is Tolle’s ability to keep everything in perspective that left the club with no hesitation over him leading the team’s pitching staff into the postseason.
“I know his age [and] I know he's a rookie, but as far as the way he approaches baseball and big moments, that part won't bother him,” said Tracy. “He's a pretty special personality that's been through a lot and doesn't take things too seriously that don't need to be taken that seriously. He’s just going to go out there and pitch his game regardless of what it is. So I don't have any concerns on that."
When Tolle conducted his light-hearted press conference not long after, it was again evident why the Red Sox have such confidence in him in a big spot like this. Nothing fazes him.
It will certainly be a contrast in demeanors between Tolle and the intense Schlittler.
“I've tried to be super locked in. It just doesn't work for me,” said Tolle. “I end up putting too much pressure on myself. I just have found that the way that I work the best is trying to be comfortable and trying to smile as much as I can out there.”
Though you might have forgotten it by now, Tolle was actually part of Boston’s Wild Card Series roster against the Yankees last year as a reliever after pitching in seven games during the regular season.
He faced one batter in Game 2, getting Trent Grisham on a bases-loaded groundout to end the eighth that kept the Red Sox within a run in their eventual 4-3 loss.
That night, he got a sense of the postseason atmosphere at Yankee Stadium.
“Even walking out there to the ‘pen last year, you see how much the fans interact, how bought in they are. You see how much it means,” said Tolle. “You get to hear how loud it gets and just try and turn that into white noise the best you can.”
Tolle was still figuring out himself as a pitcher a year ago. Looking back on it, he views himself as someone who got to go along for the ride in what wound up just a three-game postseason run for his team.
“Last year, [I] kind of felt like I got an 'A' on the group project, but I didn’t do anything,” quipped Tolle.
There’s no questioning the value of what he’s done this season. After losing out on the No. 5 rotation spot at the of Spring Training, Tolle was called up for good on April 23. He’s climbed quite a few steps in the rotation pecking order.
In 26 starts and 148 2/3 innings, Tolle went 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA. He had 171 strikeouts and 40 walks.
What is coming Tuesday will be the biggest start he’s ever had. How does he think it will go?
“It’s going to be a whole lot of fun,” Tolle said. “It's what you play for, especially just the magnitude of the game. You're playing under the lights. I'm really proud of the work that has been put in to get here by all these guys, going back to June. It's like, 'Man, to be in this spot now, we've gone through a lot,' and I’m just super excited to get out there tomorrow.”