Payton Tolle's DayQuil flu game stuns Yankees at Fenway
Payton Tolle threw seven scoreless innings on one hit Friday as the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-1 at Fenway — a career-best flu-game outing he fueled, in his words, by saying he had "got some DayQuil in me" while battling illness.
The 23-year-old left-hander delivered the most impressive start of his young career in Boston's second straight home win over the American League East-leading Yankees. Tolle retired the first 16 batters he faced, carrying a perfect game into the sixth before Spencer Jones lined a one-out single to left — the only hit he allowed all night.
Key Takeaways
- Tolle went 7.0 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 7 strikeouts and 2 walks on 88 pitches in a 6-1 Red Sox win.
- He called it a flu game and joked he had "got some DayQuil in me," per MLB.com, after dominating the Yankees while sick.
- The outing was his most shutout innings ever and dropped his ERA to 2.78.
- Boston scored six runs for a third straight night and took a 2-0 series lead at Fenway.
- At 23 years and 237 days, Tolle became the youngest Red Sox pitcher with seven shutout innings since Eduardo Rodriguez in 2016.
What happened in Payton Tolle's outing against the Yankees?
On Friday night, June 26, 2026, Tolle faced Will Warren and carved through New York with surgical precision. The Boston Globe reported that his four-seamer averaged 94.4 mph — the lowest velocity of any start in his career — yet he dotted the zone and kept hitters off balance with his full mix.
Over the Monster noted that Goldschmidt, Bellinger and Chisholm went a combined 0-for-11, and the Yankees managed just three hits for the entire game. Tolle did not reach a three-ball count until he walked Jasson Domínguez with two outs in the seventh, then issued another free pass to José Caballero. He escaped when Jazz Chisholm Jr. flew out to the warning track in center, finishing seven consecutive scoreless frames before a roaring ovation from 33,352 fans.
Why did Tolle call it a flu game after taking DayQuil?
MLB.com framed the performance as Tolle spinning a career outing in a "flu game," headlining his quip: "Got some DayQuil in me." The story centered on how the rookie pitched through illness rather than sitting out a marquee matchup at Fenway.
Over the Monster described a gassed Tolle in the seventh — fatigue that fit the sick-day narrative even as he refused to crack. He still walked off the mound with zero earned runs and his fourth win of the season (4-5). For a Boston rotation searching for steady stars, that grit matters as much as the radar gun.
What does this start mean for the Boston Red Sox?
The Globe called Tolle a radiant exception in a difficult first half, writing that the mountainous lefty increasingly looks like a present and future fixture of the Red Sox rotation. His ERA now sits at a glimmering 2.78 after the gem.
Boston's offense plated six runs for a third straight night — tied for the team's longest such streak this season — while the club secured a second straight home victory over New York. Tommy Kahnle allowed the lone Yankees run in the eighth, but after seven shutout innings from Tolle, the night belonged to the rookie.
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