Payton Tolle vs. Paul Skenes: How To Watch Red Sox-Pirates Showdown

The Red Sox have a big night ahead...

Sep 6, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; An empty Fenway Park is seen during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have a massive matchup ahead of them on Friday night.

Boston is riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping the Baltimore Orioles. Now, the Red Sox will kick off a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and it's going to be a doozy on Friday. Paul Skenes will take the mound at Fenway Park for the Pirates and the Red Sox will send No. 2 prospect Payton Tolle to the mound to make his big league debut.

If the season were to end today, Skenes would be the obvious option to win the National League Cy Young Award. He's made 27 starts so far this season and has a 2.07 ERA and 181-to-37 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 161 innings pitched. He has a 8-9 record, which is pretty shocking, but he has also racked up 6.2 wins above replacement. The start to his career that he's had is insane and he's just 23 years old.

It's going to be a huge night at Fenway Park

WooSox pitcher Payton Tolle gets ready to throw a pitch during his first Triple-A start on Aug. 10, 2025 at Polar Park. | WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Boston is sending Tolle to the mound just over a year after he was selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft by Boston. Tolle didn't pitch professionally in 2024 and has shot his way up to the big leagues this year alone. He's made stops at High-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and now is heading to Boston. Overall, this year, he's logged a 3.04 ERA and a 133-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 91 2/3 innings pitched.

Boston has been aggressive with its top prospects this year and now Tolle will join a list including Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Jhostynxon Garcia who have all gotten shots this year in Boston.

So, how can you check out the action on Friday night?

Here's all you need to know:

First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
TV: NESN, SportsNet Pittsburgh
Streaming: NESN+, MLB.tv, Fubo
Radio: WEEI

It's shaping up to be a big night at Fenway Park and you're surely going to want to get there early for all of the action.

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