Aug 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Red Sox Rookie Draws Rave Reviews From Pirates' Paul Skenes, Andrew McCutchen

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 1:20 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox may have suffered defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, but Payton Tolle certainly didn't shoulder the blame.

Tolle dazzled the Fenway Park crowd with eight strikeouts in his first five scoreless innings. But the Pirates got to reliever Greg Weissert, who inherited two baserunners from Tolle in the sixth, eventually rallying for a 4-2 victory.

On a night where Pirates ace and Cy Young Award frontrunner Paul Skenes was on the mound, it was Tolle who stole the show. And Skenes was among several Pirates impressed by the big lefty's start.

Skenes, Andrew McCutchen sound off on Tolle

The 23-year-old Skenes, who had even more hype than Tolle when he arrived for his debut last season, earned the win over the Red Sox with six innings of two-run ball. But although he wasn't able to watch much of Tolle throughout the contest on Friday, he admitted he was impressed with the Boston rookie.

“I’m the seasoned veteran now,” Skenes said, per Matt Vautour of MassLive. “I’ve watched video of him. The stuff is obviously really good. I didn’t get a ton of time to watch him tonight. But it’s cool to see that. I’ll be watching him.”

Meanwhile, former National League Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen, who got the best of Tolle with a ground-rule double and a walk, had even higher praise, comparing the youngster to another lefty who once ruled the stage at Fenway.

“He kind of reminds me of Chris Sale with his arm angle and his extension. He’s obviously bigger than (Sale) is. But the way the ball was and the way he was releasing it, felt a lot like Sale,” McCutchen said, per Vautour. “Sale obviously has better secondary stuff, but (Tolle’s) fastball plays. He has electric stuff.

“His fastball is electric. Everyone was obviously able to see that,” McCutchen continued. “He came out real hot, throwing 98, 99. He did well for himself, but luckily we have someone in Paul Skenes who can show up and has a track record.”

If Tolle can pitch against every team like he did in Friday's game, he'll leave a lot more big names around the sport impressed.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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