BOSTON (AP) 鈥� Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle woke up Friday morning feeling under the weather. Then he went out and made the New York Yankees鈥� hitters look weak.
In the best start of his young career, the 23-year-old Tolle retired his first 16 batters, taking a perfect game into the sixth inning, and gave up just one hit over seven scoreless in over its longtime rivals.
鈥淵eah, just got it this morning, a little bit yesterday, body aches, fever,鈥� he said after his 88-pitch gem. 鈥淚 laid in bed for a long time this morning. Got here and got some DayQuil in me.鈥�
He was determined to make his start.
鈥淚 woke up this morning and said 鈥業 don鈥檛 feel great, but I鈥檓 going to pitch today,鈥濃�� he said. 鈥淭here were a couple of times where I was like 鈥楧o I tell anybody? Or should I push through this?鈥欌�欌��
Tolle (4-5) gave up a one-out line single to left in the sixth by Spencer Jones, ending his perfect game and no-hit bid. He left after the seventh to a standing ovation.
Did the no-hitter ever cross his mind?
鈥淲ay too early,鈥� he said laughing ,before saying it was probably like the third inning.
鈥淲henever those guys that throw a no-hitter or a perfect game say: 鈥業 didn鈥檛 think about it until the end of the game, all right, dude you thought about it at least once,鈥欌�欌�� he said, breaking into a laugh. 鈥淵ou looked at the scoreboard at one point.鈥�
Tolle mostly used a sharp curveball combined with an upper 90s 鈥� but a bit below his usual velocity 鈥� fastball to overpower the Yankees. He struck out seven and walked two.
鈥淚鈥檓 definitely trying to get to spots better because you can鈥檛 just blow guys away,鈥� he said of his velocity drop. 鈥淚 really took a one inning at a time approach.鈥�
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