Payton Tolle headshot

Payton Tolle News: Fans eight in major-league debut

Written by RotoWire Staff

Published on August 29, 2025

Tolle did not factor into Friday's decision against the Pirates, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight across 5.1 innings.

Though Tolle was facing a Pirates team that entered Friday with the least amount of runs scored in the majors (484), he was also against ace Paul Skenes, so a win was going to be hard to collect in the former's major-league debut. Even so, Tolle rose to the occasion, generating 14 whiffs on 84 pitches (53 strikes) with six of his eight punchouts coming on four-seam fastballs. The 22-year-old southpaw kept the Pirates off the board through the first five innings, but he was pulled from the game in the sixth after allowing two baserunners, both of whom were brought home on a Tommy Pham double. With Richard Fitts (elbow) on the 15-day IL and Walker Buehler being released, Tolle figures to be a part of the Red Sox's rotation for the rest of the regular season. He's slated to start against the Guardians at home next week, when he'll look to earn the first win of his major-league career.

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