Some games answer questions. Tonight answered several.
Payton Tolle went six innings against the A’s, struck out 14 batters, walked nobody, gave up two hits and one earned run on 84 pitches. The A’s were swinging at air from the first inning on. Henry Bolte struck out three times. Brian Serven struck out three times. Jonah Heim struck out twice. Tommy White struck out twice. Tyler Soderstrom hit a solo homer in the fifth—the lone blemish—and the A’s otherwise had absolutely nothing for Tolle all night. Fourteen strikeouts with zero walks in six innings on 84 pitches. At Fenway, in August, from a 22-year-old the front office and coaching staff has had to trust in such incredible situations—it’s a statement performance.
Raymond Burgos followed with three perfect innings to close it out. Thirty-four pitches, no hits, nothing. Between the two of them, the Red Sox bullpen didn’t throw a meaningful pitch. Chapman, Whitlock, Weissert (from Worcester)—all of them sat and watched. They threw every arm available the night before (genuinely, Tracey said if last night’s bout went any longer, they might have needed to use a position player on the mound), and tonight, Tolle and Burgos handed them an extremely needed full night off.
Meanwhile, the offense showed up early, put up crooked numbers, and didn’t stop. Five in the second inning. Four more in the fourth. 9-0 through four frames against a depleted Athletics roster that was already missing Shea Langeliers—who tore his meniscus before the trade deadline and is done for the season—and Nick Kurtz, who reaggravated a right thumb capsule strain and is also on the IL. The A’s came to Fenway short-handed and left embarrassed. It felt like how the Sox were playing in May, which honestly makes me feel bad, but not too much to enjoy this Friday night victory.
On Langeliers, I can’t have any regrets in getting Adley Rutschman—who looks like he could start a rehab stint as early as this weekend—or frankly Jake Rogers who showed up very well in his first Red Sox start. That’s gotta feel good for your first time with a new club to lead a game masterfully behind the dish and put up hits in the box.
Back to tonight. Every starter in the Red Sox lineup collected at least one hit. Wilyer Abreu drove in three runs in two at-bats before being removed—hopefully precautionary from his foul ball off his leg. Duran hit a homer. Yoshida drove in two. Monasterio kept his recent extra-base-hit tear going. Durbin drove in two. This lineup top to bottom put in a full shift.
13-1. Tolle with 14 punchouts. Bullpen rested. This team is cooking.
Payton Tolle (6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 14 K)
Fourteen strikeouts. Zero walks. Eighty-four pitches. That’s a signature Tolle start. His fastball was touching 98, his curveball was an incredible putaway pitch, he had a career high in strikeouts and swings and misses. That’s a start you remember as a youngster.
Raymond Burgos (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
Three perfect innings on 34 pitches. After Tolle’s six, Burgos walked out and put up zeros until the final out. The Sox emptied the bullpen the night before—tonight, not a single one of those guys had to warm up. In a pennant race, that’s worth a lot.
Wilyer Abreu (2-for-2, 3 RBI, BB, 1 R)
Three RBI in two at-bats before coming out early. Whatever happened, he left a mark before he left the game.
Every starter got a hit. That doesn’t happen every night and it’s worth saying out loud. Top to bottom, this offense showed up.
How many pitchers did they need to use? A position player pitching? Short-handed without Langeliers and Kurtz. There’s not much to dissect—they just got run out of Fenway.
Take your pick from the fourteen strikeouts. The front office spent a week deciding whether to deal Tolle, and he went out and answered the question himself, one swing-and-miss at a time. Call it the fourteenth K if you want a specific moment. The whole performance was the play.
