Boston Red Sox
Payton Tolle is the first Red Sox pitcher to open a game with an immaculate inning since Pedro Martinez in 2002.
Payton Tolle pitched the eighth immaculate inning in Red Sox history. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
September 13, 2026
2 minutes to read
The Red Sox’ game against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon was pushed back due to rainy conditions — with first pitch moved from 1:35 p.m. … to 3:05 p.m. … to an eventual first pitch delivered at 4:55.
But even with those extended delays at a soggy Fenway Park, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy acknowledged that Payton Tolle was not lacking in enthusiasm upon arriving at Boston’s ballpark.
“He came in and gave me my salute this morning,” Tracy told MLB.com’s Molly Burkhardt, “and he said, ‘3:05?’ And I was like, ‘Plan on it.’ And he’s like, ‘But be ready to pivot?’ I was like, ‘Be ready to pivot.’ And that was the last I saw him. So he’ll be ready.”
Sure enough, Tolle was more than ready for his start on Sunday.
The southpaw delivered just the eighth immaculate inning in Red Sox history against the Royals — striking out the side on nine pitches to open the game en route to an eventual 4-1 Boston win.
It was the first immaculate inning by a Red Sox pitcher since Chris Sale on Aug. 26, 2021, and the first Boston immaculate inning to open a game since Pedro Martinez struck out three Mariners batters on nine straight strikes on May 18, 2002 — a game that also featured a rain delay.
Tolle set down Nick Loftin, Bobby Witt Jr., and Jac Caglianone in order to open Sunday’s start — with Caglianone the only one of those three to actually make contact in the top of the first after fouling off Tolle’s seventh pitch of the frame.
After Tolle got two strikes on Caglianone, the crowd at Fenway Park rose to its feet — with NESN cameras catching Tolle sporting a grin as he recognized the stakes of what another strike would signify.
Tolle made good on his ninth pitch of the first, pumping in a 98-mile-per-hour fastball that Caglianone flailed at for a swinging strikeout. As Fenway roared in approval, Tolle pumped his fist and did little to mask his own enthusiasm.
It was a promising start to another dominant performance from Tolle, who allowed four hits, zero earned runs, one walk, and seven strikeouts over six innings of work in Boston’s victory over the Royals.
While Tolle kept Kansas City in check, the Red Sox needed some clutch hitting in crunch time to secure a series win against the Royals — with Roman Anthony breaking a 1-1 stalemate in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single. Trevor Story tacked on two more runs with an RBI single in the eighth.
Tolle — who earned a no-decision after Erik Miller gave up a run in the seventh — has been at his best down the stretch for the Red Sox. Over his last two starts, Tolle has allowed one run over 12 innings with eight hits, one walk, and 19 strikeouts.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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