Payton Tolle comes from a close-knit family.
That was evident when the Boston Red Sox left-hander made an emotional start May 10, on Mother’s Day, and honored his late mom, Jina, who died two years earlier at age 48 due to cancer.
This Sunday, Tolle is scheduled to start against the Seattle Mariners on Father’s Day, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone in the family if Chad Tolle, the patriarch, shows up in Seattle for the game.
“My first time pitching in Triple-A, he was there, and then obviously with the (major league) debut, he was there, too,” Payton told MLB.com. “Like if he could find a flight, and I called him right now, he would be here tonight. He’s always ready to be there for me.”
Payton, 23, recalled when his dad once drove five hours from the family home in Oklahoma to Kansas City just to spend 15 minutes with his son, who wasn’t even pitching in a series against the Royals.
“Yeah, it was pretty special. I just couldn’t thank him enough,” Payton said.
Chad Tolle still throws batting practice to Payton’s younger brother, Charlie — who plays at Seminole State in Oklahoma — despite an arm that likely will require Tommy John surgery.
Payton said Chad’s mother died when Chad was a teenager, so Chad understands what his sons are going through.
“It was definitely a really hard experience for all of us,” Payton told MLB.com. “We were all going through it together. It was difficult, but we had each other.”
Tolle (3-4, 2.93 ERA), in his first full major league season, will look to help the American League East cellar-dwelling Red Sox sweep the three-game series against the AL West-leading Mariners.
Fellow Red Sox left-handers Ranger Suarez and Connelly Early combined with relievers to throw two-hitters in each of the first two games of the series. Boston won 5-1 on Saturday as Wilyer Abreu hit a two-run homer.
The Mariners are 10-13 in games started by lefties.
Of the five right-handed hitters Seattle started Saturday, only Julio Rodriguez has a batting average better than .189.
“We’ll look at it again and put the lineup together and make adjustments where we think we have to,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “It’s just something that we’re gonna have to make the adjustment to and get after it (Sunday), and we’ll do that.”
The Mariners are scheduled to start right-hander Logan Gilbert (5-4, 3.43 ERA) on Sunday.
Gilbert is coming off a 3-1 victory Tuesday against visiting Baltimore in which he allowed one run on two hits over seven innings and struck out a season-high 10 batters. He’s 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA in six career starts against Boston.
Tolle has lost his past two starts. He most recently gave up three runs on four hits in five innings Tuesday in a 6-1 defeat to visiting Toronto.
Tolle will face the Mariners for the first time in his career.
“Pretty much anybody that takes the ball, I feel pretty good about walking in the dugout and feeling like we’re going to be in the game,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “I don’t think that’s been inaccurate. It seems like the sixth inning arrives, and we’re right there. That part has been great. It could be worse than that. We’re not getting beat up. We’re in the game, we have a chance. Our starters have done that.”
–Field Level Media
