Rookie playoff opener
Red Sox name rookie left-hander Payton Tolle to start playoff opener against Yankees.
Anonymous
The Red Sox will start rookie left-hander Payton Tolle against Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler in Game 1 of their best-of-three American League Wild Card Series in New York. Boston manager Chad Tracy cited Tolle’s power pitching and confidence in his ability to face any lineup; the 23-year-old earned the assignment after a strong regular season, posting a 3.03 ERA with 171 strikeouts and 40 walks in 148⅔ innings. Sonny Gray is scheduled to start Game 2, with Ranger Suárez available for a deciding Game 3. Tolle held the Yankees to one run over 14 innings in two regular-season starts, adding to the intrigue of the rookie matchup.
Key Points
1
Boston chose the left-handed Tolle in part because the Yankees have a lineup with many left-handed hitters, rather than starting right-hander Sonny Gray in Game 1.
2
Tolle has postseason experience, but only briefly: he made the Red Sox playoff roster as a reliever the previous year and faced one batter against the Yankees.
3
The best-of-three series is scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday, with every game at Yankee Stadium because New York is the higher-seeded team.
4
Tolle made his major-league debut just 19 days after his first game for Triple-A Worcester, illustrating how quickly he advanced to the postseason spotlight.
Sentiment
Mostly PositiveNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
14
Articles
95
Reach
109
A
AnonymousAuthor
