Red Sox's Payton Tolle reveals hilarious message from mom after MLB debut

With the Boston Red Sox in the middle of a heated division race in the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, they will be needing all hands on deck to keep in step with their peers. But on Friday, they had to call upon rookie Payton Tolle to start against the Pittsburgh Pirates opposite ace and likely Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes. In the end, Skenes and the Pirates won, 4-2, although that wasn’t due to any fault of Tolle’s.

Tolle, in his big-league debut, threw 5.1 rock solid innings, striking out eight and allowing just two runs on three hits and two walks. While the Pirates didn’t necessarily provide the best competition, the Red Sox rookie displayed incredible stuff and composure. Moreover, he was a bundle of joy, with his jovial personality shining through even though the night did not end of the best of notes.

“I turned to all the guys in the infield, I said, ‘I think you guys are really, really cool.’ …Tried to look up, tried to find my dad. And then the other side of that of looking up, hearing my mom still saying, ‘You’re still a hack,’” Tolle said after recalling the moment Red Sox manager Alex Cora pulled him from the game, per Tom Carroll of WEEI.

Payton Tolle on what he was thinking when Cora came to take him out in the 6th:

“…I turned to all the guys in the infield, I said, ‘I think you guys are really, really cool.’ …Tried to look up, tried to find my dad. And then the other side of that of looking up, hearing my mom… pic.twitter.com/kW5Q5RKIrz

— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) August 30, 2025

Tolle’s debut came with a bit of hype, and he did match it. But the Red Sox starter’s parents have wanted nothing but the best for their son since day one, and they’ll help him achieve it however they could.

Parental love comes in different forms, and in the home Tolle grew up in, he certainly was the recipient of some playful, loving jabs from his parents. And even though he’s already 22 years of age and appears to have a long big-league career ahead of him, that isn’t about to change.

Payton Tolle’s Red Sox debut was well-earned

Red Sox's Payton Tolle reveals hilarious message from mom after MLB debut — Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Tolle has done nothing but excel ever since the Red Sox drafted him in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He rose so fast through the ranks that he made it to Triple-A not long after tearing up the lower minor-league levels this year; in 20 MiLB games (18 starts), he recorded an ERA of 3.04 while striking out an impressive 13.06 batters per nine innings.

His fastball is going to be such an incredible weapon in the big-leagues, and it’s looking like he’ll be a crucial member of the Red Sox rotation for years to come.