Payton Tolle impresses in MLB debut, but Paul Skenes, Pirates top Red Sox 4-2

The Pittsburgh Pirates rode a three-run sixth inning to a 4-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park, spoiling the MLB debut of 22-year-old left-hander Payton Tolle. In a much-anticipated matchup of exciting young arms, Paul Skenes (9-9) earned the win by working six innings, scattering seven hits while allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out six. Despite yielding a season-high-tying hit total, the 22-year-old phenom buckled down, retiring his final six batters in order.

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Tolle was sharp in his debut, firing 5 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts while allowing only three hits. Both runs charged to him came after his exit, when reliever Greg Weissert (6-5) surrendered a game-tying, two-run double to Tommy Pham in the sixth. Andrew McCutchen, who finished 3-for-3, followed with an RBI double that put the Pirates ahead for good.


Romy Gonzalez led Boston’s offense with a 3-for-4 night, while Roman Anthony belted a solo home run and Ceddanne Rafaela went 2-for-4. The Red Sox scored first on Rafaela’s infield single and throwing error in the third, bringing home Masataka Yoshida, before Anthony’s fifth-inning blast doubled the lead.


Pittsburgh answered in the sixth, sparked by consecutive one-out singles from Nick Gonzalez and Bryan Reynolds. After Pham’s clutch hit knotted the score, McCutchen’s double gave the Pirates a 3-2 edge. In the eighth, Henry Davis added insurance with a fielder’s choice bunt that plated pinch runner Ronny Simon following a successful challenge.

Dauri Moreta, Isaac Mattson, and Dennis Santana each tossed a scoreless inning in relief to secure the win, giving the Pirates three victories in their last four games.