Red Sox-Yankees Wild Card preview: Payton Tolle gets Game 1, Crochet makes roster, Judge left off

One year ago, the Red Sox were knocked out of the postseason by the Yankees in three games in the American League Wild Card Series.

Boston took Game 1 behind a gem from Garrett Crochet, but its season ended two nights later when Cam Schlittler dominated the Red Sox in the decisive Game 3.

Fast-forward one year, and the rivals are set to do it all over again at Yankee Stadium.

This time, Schlittler will get the ball in Game 1, where he’ll be opposed by a different hard-throwing Red Sox left-hander.

Payton Tolle will start the series opener for Boston, manager Chad Tracy announced Monday.

The 23-year-old rookie left-hander will get the ball Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, followed by veteran right-hander Sonny Gray in Game 2 and left-hander Ranger Suarez in Game 3, if necessary.

Boston had kept its Game 1 starter under wraps, though the club tipped its hand last week when it rearranged the rotation to line up Tolle, Gray and Suarez against Cleveland. The move ensured all three would have a full week of rest before their potential postseason starts.

“Just felt like with his power stuff, that was the best choice for Game 1,” Tracy said.

“I know his age, I know he’s a rookie, but as far as the way he approaches baseball and big moments, that part won’t bother him,” Tracy added. “He’s a pretty special personality that has been through a lot and doesn’t take things too seriously that don’t need to be taken that seriously. Just going to go out there and pitch his game regardless of what it is.”

Tolle last pitched Tuesday against the Guardians, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings while throwing 91 pitches. He finished his rookie season 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 171 strikeouts against 40 walks in 26 starts after beginning the year at Triple-A Worcester. He was particularly strong after the All-Star break, posting a 2.92 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings.

“I think with Payton, when he’s starting, you’re not as much worried about who’s in the lineup,” Tracy said. “You trust him either way. I just feel like we’re pretty confident in who he is as a pitcher and what he brings to the table, regardless of who’s facing, as far as difficulty to hit. That’s what we felt like was best.”

Tolle will be followed by two veterans with considerably more postseason experience.

“I think we had a good idea, even going into last week, that we were leaning that way, which is very much why we arranged the rotation at the very beginning of this past week the way we did,” Tracy said. “Not only did we think we were gonna do that but it also allowed us the flexibility, as we assessed the week and we wanted to make changes, we could because we knew all three guys would be on a seven-day (rest period).”

At 23, Tolle will become the third-youngest pitcher in Red Sox history to start a postseason opener, trailing only Smoky Joe Wood (22 years, 349 days) in Game 1 of the 1912 World Series and Babe Ruth (23 years, 211 days) in Game 1 of the 1918 World Series.

Gray, 36, went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and .236 opponent batting average in 29 starts. He owns a 3.26 ERA in six career postseason starts and pitched well against his former team this season, allowing three earned runs over 13 2/3 innings in two starts.

Suarez, an American League All-Star, finished 2026 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. After struggling coming out of the All-Star break, the 31-year-old finished strong, allowing just three earned runs over his final 24 2/3 innings for a 1.09 ERA. He also brings an impressive postseason résumé, with a 1.48 ERA in 11 career playoff appearances, including eight starts.

The Yankees were a different story for Suarez during the regular season. He surrendered 11 earned runs on 20 hits over 16 1/3 innings in three starts against New York, including six runs in 5 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 30.

But before Gray or Suarez gets his opportunity, the series will open with two young pitchers who have quickly established themselves as major pieces of baseball’s biggest rivalry.

Tolle will oppose Schlittler, setting up a matchup between two pitchers with little postseason mileage but dramatically different personalities.

“As pitchers,” said Tolle to the media on Monday afternoon from Yankee Stadium, “it can be very different, whether it’s ‘Don’t talk to me, I’m locking in myself,’ or talking in the locker room and wanting to be free-flowing, easy. Pitchers are going to find their way and what works for them. What works for me is not going to work for Pitcher A, B or C. However you find your way, that’s how you’re going to go out there, whatever gets you to the point of being your best.

“I’ve tried to be super locked-in; it just doesn’t work me for me. I end up putting too much pressure on myself. I just have found that the way that I work the best is trying to be comfortable and trying to smile as much I can out there.”

Schlittler is the polar opposite of Tolle on the mound. The Walpole native and former Northeastern pitcher is more stoic and intense, and his connection to New England has added another layer to his relationship with Red Sox fans.

He has openly discussed criticism and hostile messages he has received from Boston fans on social media and has acknowledged using some of it as motivation. His history with the organization stretches back to his amateur days, when he felt the Red Sox showed relatively little interest despite his pitching just a few miles from Fenway Park.

“I wouldn’t say I’m always on my phone looking for that stuff,” Schlittler said on Tuesday. “At the same time, I don’t really live under a rock as well. Found ways to use that to my advantage. I think I’m good at keeping receipts.”

Schlittler dominated Boston in the decisive Game 3 of the 2025 Wild Card Series, throwing eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts to eliminate the Red Sox. Afterward, he added some fuel to the rivalry by posting “Drinking dat dirty water” on social media.

“I mean, there’s always going to be motivation, fuel,” Schlittler said. “At the same time, I’m not too worried about any of that. I feel like I did a good job proving that last year, and I expect to go out there tomorrow and do the same thing.”

His success against Boston continued this season. Schlittler went 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four starts against the Red Sox, allowing two earned runs over 24 1/3 innings while holding Boston hitters to a .174 average and .560 OPS.

“We’ve faced each other a lot,” he said. “I’ve faced them four times this year. I’ve faced other teams in the AL four times this year, and I’ve seen good success. You’ve got to rely on your strengths. At the same time, you’ve got to see what adjustments they make and kind of just go from there.”

The right-hander finished the regular season with a 1.95 ERA in 33 starts, leaning heavily on a fastball that averaged 98 mph and proved to be one of baseball’s most effective pitches.

“I feel like I’m a competitor,” Schlittler said. “Again, as I said, it’s not something that bothers me. I’m going to go out there and do my job and put my team in the best position to win.”

Crochet is Back

One of Crochet’s defining moments in his first season with the Red Sox came in Game 1 of last year’s American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees.

The left-hander struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings, throwing 117 pitches to help Boston take the series opener.

Crochet, who hasn’t pitched for Boston since April 25 because of left shoulder and lat issues, has spent the past several weeks building back up and has worked his way back to the club and will be on the Red Sox’ Wild Card roster, the team announced on Tuesday morning. 

He threw live batting practice Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla., as part of the club’s “stay-ready” group at Fenway South and came out of the session feeling good. Tracy had stopped short of saying whether Crochet will be activated when he held his media session on Monday from Yankee Stadium. 

“We're still seeing,” Tracy said. “Again, like I said, he threw the live BP and came out of it well. We'll see as we get to the end of the workout if we can key down on making decisions like that.”

The bigger question may not be whether Crochet can pitch, but how often.

In a best-of-three series, carrying Crochet becomes a more difficult decision if he is only capable of making one appearance. The Red Sox are continuing to evaluate how quickly he could recover and whether he could potentially pitch more than once.

“I think the answer to that is up in the air,” Tracy said. “If we're able to activate Garrett and we do that and we decide to do that, obviously he's available, right? I think beyond that, if you were to use him, the availability, whether that's the next day or for another game in the Series, it's still going to be contingent on us continuing to evaluate him.

“We know where he's at. We know he's worked very hard to get everything back strong the way it needs to be, but we're still going to be evaluating him daily to see where he's at. Whether he's available to pitch [more than once] in this series, I don't know the answer to that yet.”

Crochet’s absence lasted far longer than he initially anticipated, but the 27-year-old has at least given himself a chance to contribute in October.

“It was obviously a lot longer than I expected. Been busting my tail just to kind of give myself a fighting chance, and I feel like I did that,” Crochet said. “Now it's just waiting for the roster to come out. I hope that I'm able to contribute, but regardless, I'm here, and I think that we have put ourselves in a great position to walk away from the Series with a win.”

A bullpen role would not be unfamiliar territory. Crochet pitched in relief at Tennessee and made 72 relief appearances with the White Sox before transitioning to the rotation in 2024.

His velocity has climbed during his recent buildup, while the spin and shape of his pitches have continued to improve. If the Red Sox believe he can handle multiple appearances, his addition could provide a significant boost to a bullpen that has already lost Justin Slaten for the season and will be without Tyron Guerrero for at least the opening rounds of the postseason.

Guerrero had emerged as an important middle-inning option, posting a 3.10 ERA with 19 holds in 40 appearances. He had only recently returned after missing 17 games with right shoulder inflammation, making two scoreless appearances before suffering the lat injury that knocked him out of the Wild Card Series.

Decisions, Decisions

This time last year, much of the conversation centered on what the Red Sox would do for a potential Game 3 starter after Lucas Giolito was shut down with a right elbow injury before the playoffs.

Boston ultimately turned to Connelly Early and the Red Sox lost the deciding game, but not because the young left-hander put them in harm’s way. Schlittler was simply dominant, and the Boston offense had no answers for his overpowering fastball.

A year later, the Red Sox are again navigating injuries as they finalize their Wild Card roster, although this time they could have some reinforcements on the way.

Crochet remains a possibility, while Tanner Houck could eventually factor into the pitching staff after making his first major league start since last season on Sunday. Considering Houck threw 50 pitches in the regular-season finale, he was not added to the postseason roster. But if Boston gets past the Yankees, he could become a more realistic option for the American League Division Series in Tampa.

Houck allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over three innings Sunday, striking out two while throwing 34 of his 50 pitches for strikes.

The Red Sox will also get Willson Contreras back, even if he isn’t quite 100%.

Contreras returned to the lineup Sunday for the first time since being hit on the right hand by a pitch against the Rangers on Sept. 17. After being unable to swing comfortably for much of the previous week, he started at designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before Jahmai Jones replaced him in the fifth inning.

For a while, Boston faced the possibility of entering the postseason without both Contreras and Mickey Gasper. Gasper suffered what the club termed a “significant” right biceps injury on Sept. 25 and will miss the postseason.

The Red Sox will also be without Eli White, whom they acquired at the trade deadline in part to provide a right-handed bat, defensive versatility and speed off the bench. White underwent surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury in his right foot on Sept. 22.

With White unavailable, Boston is considering another speedster for a postseason role. 

Braiden Ward