Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle's 2025 playoff experience lasted all of seven pitches, inducing a rally-ending groundout to New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series.
The short time under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium had quite an impact on the 23-year-old though.
"It was like being in the middle of The Roman Colosseum, and it felt like a payoff of sorts," Tolle said, according to MLB.com's longtime Red Sox reporter Ian Browne. "It’s definitely something that I'll remember forever, and I want to continue to replicate that, hopefully at home."
MLB insider and former big league general manager Jim Bowden recently compared Tolle to ex-New York All-Star hurler David Wells, who pitched many big games at the old Yankee Stadium.
Boston's 2024 second-round pick is among a number of possible candidates for the Red Sox's fifth and final spot in their starting rotation.
Tolle finished his Spring Training debut on Saturday with one run allowed on one hit (a home run) with no walks and one strikeout across two innings pitched against the Minnesota Twins.
"It almost goes back to college. And obviously that wasn't too long ago for me," he said of the fifth starter competition, per Browne. "Everybody was fighting for that Friday night rotation spot and it kind of takes you back to that. I'm excited about it. I'm just thrilled to be a part of it."
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