The Boston Red Sox witnessed a historic debut Friday night at Fenway Park as Payton Tolle took the mound. The 22-year-old left-hander, called up just over a year after being selected 50th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, became the first Red Sox southpaw since Kevin Morton in 1991 to record at least eight strikeouts in his debut . He also joined Daisuke Matsuzaka (2007) as the only Boston pitchers since then to accomplish the feat.

Tolle, the club’s No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, faced Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes in a highly anticipated matchup. From his very first pitch, a 96.9 mph strike, Tolle looked composed. He struck out Jared Triolo three pitches later with a 98.3 mph heater, setting the tone for an outing that drew repeated ovations from a packed Fenway Park.

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