Red Sox
Tolle became the first Red Sox pitcher to record eight-plus strikeouts in their MLB debut since Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Payton Tolle’s Major League debut was one to remember.
The hard-throwing left-hander fanned eight over 5 1/3 sharp innings Friday night, electrifying the Fenway faithful and offering fans a glimpse into the future.
Greg Weissert allowed back-to-back doubles, and both runs were charged to Tolle in an eventual 4-2 loss to the Pirates, yet it was still a largely promising opening act for the highly regarded rookie.
Here are five stats to contextualize Tolle’s outing:
Strikeout king
Tolle became the first Red Sox pitcher to record eight-plus strikeouts in his MLB debut since Daisuke Matsuzaka punched out 10 in April 2007.
He struck out two in the first (including the first batter he faced), two in the second, and two in the fifth to highlight a strong all-around showing.
Remember Juan Peña?
Tolle joined Juan Peña as the only Red Sox pitchers to toss five-plus innings, allow three hits or fewer, and record eight-plus strikeouts in his Major League debut.
Peña went six innings, surrendered three hits, and fanned eight in 1999 against the Angels.
Youth movement
At 22 years, 301 days old, he became the youngest left-handed pitcher to start in their MLB debut for the Red Sox since Eduardo Rodríguez on May 28, 2015, at Texas (22 years, 51 days).
He’s the youngest to do so at home since Félix Doubront on 6/18/10 vs. the Dodgers (22 years, 238 days).
Friday marked the first time 23-year-old Pirates ace Paul Skenes has started against a pitcher younger than he is.
Fast start
Tolle threw 53 of his 84 pitches for strikes. Fifty of those 84 pitches were four-seamers, with an average velocity of 96.2 miles per hour.
Six of his eight strikeouts came via the heater, which reached 99.2 and eclipsed 99 three times.
The next step for Tolle is fine-tuning his off-speed pitches to complement his elite fastball.
Rapid rise
The Red Sox drafted Tolle just 13-plus months ago, in July 2024, out of Texas Christian University.
He made 11 starts for Greenville (A+), five for Portland (AA), and three for Worcester (AAA) before getting the call-up prior to Friday’s game.
The first Greenville start came on April 8. It took the fiery 22-year-old less than four months to make it to the top.
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