Overview
- Payton Tolle took the mound at Fenway on Sunday and gave up three earned runs over five innings in a 4-1 defeat to Tampa Bay, calling it a tough week as he pitched in his late mother’s honor.
- His planned start Saturday, the two-year mark of Jina Tolle’s death from colon cancer on May 9, 2024, was postponed by rain, which set up the Mother’s Day appearance.
- He marked the day with his regular tributes that include an Instagram photo of her making the ASL “I love you” sign, a pregame text he sends her, a skyward hand gesture after the anthem, and a glove inscribed “You’re so pretty.”
- The 23-year-old lefty entered Sunday with a 2.04 ERA across three starts, highlighted by seven innings with eight strikeouts against Detroit in his previous outing.
- Scouting ties to his family helped put him in Boston, as longtime family friend and scout Chris Reilly later urged the Red Sox to draft Tolle 50th overall in 2024.