The Boston Red Sox are taking on the New York Yankees in an American League wild-card series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29. Two teams with the most historic rivalry in baseball history square off with a chance to send the other home.
New York eliminated Boston in 2025, but with a new set of faces this year the Red Sox hope the result will be different.
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One of those new faces is left-hander Payton Tolle. While Tolle debuted back in 2025 and appeared in the playoff series, he only made one appearance out of the bullpen. That will not be the case this time around.
Chad Tracy names wild-card series starters
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy spoke with reporters ahead of Game 1 and officially announced the rotation for Boston, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Tracy said Tolle gets the ball for Game 1, with veterans Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez to follow in that order. That represents a completely different look than what the Yankees saw last year, as both Gray and Suarez were added this offseason.
It makes plenty of sense that Tolle gets the ball. The 23-year-old has posted a 3.03 ERA across 26 starts and has piled up 171 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings. Tolle has been superb in the second half and earned this moment.
Gray will get the ball for Game 2 and has been exactly as advertised in his first year with Boston. The 36-year-old veteran has posted a 2.72 ERA across 29 starts and has continued to age gracefully.
Suarez getting the ball third was the obvious choice as well. He has plenty of postseason experience from his time with the Philadelphia Phillies, and across 28 starts this year he has posted a 3.22 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings of work.
Boston’s lineup will have its work cut out against New York’s excellent rotation, but the Red Sox have the arms this year to match up against the Yankees in a way they simply did not a year ago.
Game 1 of the series is set for 8 p.m. ET Tuesday on NBC and Peacock.
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