The Red Sox are handing Game 1 of their Wild Card Series against the Yankees to a rookie, and Chad Tracy isn’t hiding the reason why.
Payton Tolle will take the ball Tuesday night in New York, with Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler on the other side. Then Boston will turn to Sonny Gray on Wednesday against Max Fried.
For Tracy, the decision comes down to what Tolle brings when he’s on the mound.
“We had a good idea, even going into last week, that we were leaning that way, which is why we arranged the rotation at the beginning of this past week the way we did… With his power stuff, that was the best choice for Game 1,” Tracy said.
He doubled down on that confidence in Tolle’s profile against any opponent.
“With Payton, when he’s starting, you’re not as much worried about who’s in the lineup. You trust him either way. We’re pretty confident in who he is as a pitcher and what he brings to the table, regardless of who he’s facing."
That trust has plenty of backing. Tolle, a second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft who debuted in 2025, went 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA this season and struck out 171 batters. Over 26 starts, he logged 148.2 innings, posted a 1.10 WHIP and walked 40.
He’s also already shown he can handle the Yankees. In two starts against New York this year, Tolle went 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA and struck out 18 Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees managed just four hits in 32 at-bats against him, producing a combined .125/.152/.219 slash line and a .370 OPS. Aaron Judge, who is attempting to play in the series, has struck out twice against Tolle.
The matchup opens Tuesday in New York, with the next two games also scheduled there on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, both at 8 p.m.
In Other News...
Yankees Just Gave Red Sox Fans More Motivation Before The Wild Card
With the Wild Card round looming, the Red Sox are approaching this matchup the way October usually demands, one series at a time. Boston has been laying out its rotation with this specific test in mind, and Chad Tracy has kept the message centered on the immediate challenge rather than peeking ahead to anything beyond it.
Across the diamond, Aaron Boones comments about already weighing pitching strategies for the Divisional round only add a little extra fuel to an already charged playoff meeting. Whether Boone intended it or not, it gives Boston plenty of bulletin-board material heading into a Yankees-Red Sox showdown where the first job is simple: survive the opening round and make sure the conversation about later series gets cut short. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Schlittler Just Made Yankees-Red Sox Game 1 Even More Heated
The playoff stage at Yankee Stadium was already going to bring plenty of edge, but Cam Schlittler has helped turn the opener into something even more combustible. The Yankees starter has been trading public jabs with Red Sox fans online, leaning into the noise instead of ducking it, and that has only sharpened the atmosphere around a rivalry that hardly needed extra fuel.
For Boston, the matchup matters because it is not just another October game, it is the first look at a series that now comes with a little more bite. Schlittler is set to be one of the key figures in the spotlight, and his duel with Red Sox starter Payton Tolle adds another layer to a night already heavy with history, tension and the kind of crowd energy that can tilt a series before it really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Rookie Suddenly Enters Yankees Wild Card Pitching Debate
The Red Sox have lined up their Wild Card Series rotation against the Yankees, with Payton Tolle set for Game 1, Sonny Gray for Game 2 and Ranger Surez available for a decisive Game 3 if it comes to that. But one of the more interesting developments came Friday, when rookie Jake Bennett worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, giving Boston another arm to think about as the games get tighter and every bullpen choice starts to matter.
Manager Chad Tracy still has a few pitching calls to make depending on how the series unfolds, and Bennetts outing only adds to the conversation. For a Red Sox staff that already has its starters mapped out, the bigger question may be how much trust Bennett has earned for October leverage, and whether his unexpected late-season push can turn into a real postseason role against their biggest rival. [Read more 🡒]