When it comes to the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, there is no love loss. Whether it’s on the field, between the fan bases, or with former players, it is very rare that compliments are exchanged about each other.
However, that was the case with former Yankees left-handed pitcher CC Sabathia when it comes to current Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle.
Former Yankees Hall of Famer CC Sabathia Praises Red Sox Pitcher Payton Tolle
Payton Tolle made his MLB debut for the Red Sox in 2025. He made seven appearances, three starts, and pitched just 16.1 innings. When Boston broke camp for the 2026 regular season, he started the season in Triple-A with the Worcester Red Sox. However, after early injuries, Tolle was called up, and the rest, they say, is history.
With all the injuries that former manager Alex Cora and his replacement, Chad Tracy, dealt with, Tolle was a big part of the Red Sox success. The 6-foot-6 24-year-old quickly won over fans across MLB. He also won over Sabathia with the way he pitches and his personality.
“I love watching him, and I love his personality. I don’t think I could have pitched the way he does. I was always way more emotional and upset. It’s fun to see him have that disposition,” Sabathia said, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
“He’s top of the league as far as stuff goes. I love the way he attacks guys. When you have stuff like that, you should throw the ball over the plate and he seems to get that.”
Tolle made 26 starts for Boston this past season, going 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA. He worked 148.2 innings and struck out 171 batters and walked just 40 for a 4.3 K-to-BB rate. Tolle had a 2.3 WAR, which should only get better with each season he pitches.
Like Sonny Gray, Tolle was pulled early in his American League Wild-Card start against the Yankees. In four innings, the former TCU star struck out four, allowed five hits, and one run. The bullpen imploded in what turned into a 9-0 Game 1 loss. New York swept the series with a win over Gray in Game 2.
CC Sabathia Impressed With Payton Tolle’s Arsenal of Pitches
Sabathia is an old-school pitcher who studies other pitchers. He was impressed with Boston’s southpaw’s cutter, which he mixes with a four-seam fastball and a sinker that is tough to lay off at times for hitters.
“I like it. I wish I had a cutter when I was throwing harder because I would have had easier games. It may not have changed my career, but the games would have been easier for sure. The way they attack hitters, it’s awesome,” said Sabathia, per Abraham, about Tolle and Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler.
Tolle and Schlittler are going to be matched up a lot of the time against each other in the coming years as heated AL East rivals. Both are just beginning to break out. However, Sabathia sounds like a big fan of Tolle and baseball.
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