The Boston Red Sox are in the playoffs, and on Tuesday night, they’ll begin a massive Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
It’s a best-of-three series with all games taking place at the higher-seeded team’s ballpark, which means each game will take place at Yankee Stadium across Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Red Sox Make Payton Tolle Announcement
The Yankees have already announced that right-handed ace Cam Schlittler will start Game 1 of the series, with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole set to start Game 2 and a potential Game 3 if necessary.
For Boston, they waited until Monday to announce their rotation and decided that left-hander Payton Tolle will get the ball for Game 1, marking his first postseason start.
The other two Red Sox starters are set to be right-hander Sonny Gray in Game 2 and left-hander Ranger Suarez in a potential Game 3.
Chad Tracy just made it official. Payton Tolle is the Red Sox Game 1 starter for the Wild Card Series.
Payton Tolle vs Cam Schlittler tomorrow night in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/vtCyin2rMb
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) September 28, 2026
Tolle’s 2026 Season
This was a well-deserved opportunity for Tolle, who has had an exceptional 2026 campaign as one of the anchors of Boston’s rotation all season long.
He started 26 games for the Red Sox this year and posted a 9-6 record with a 3.03 ERA while striking out 171 batters across 148.2 innings.
Red Sox Right Now
Neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees necessarily have a high-powered offense, especially if Aaron Judge and Willson Contreras aren’t healthy for their respective teams.
However, both teams boast some of the best pitching staffs in baseball. The Red Sox, in particular, have plenty of left-handed pitching, which could become one of the main storylines of the series as Boston potentially throws multiple lefties at the Yankees.
Boston Red Sox Make Payton Tolle Announcement Before Game 1 Against Yankees