Payton Tolle embraces 'real slobberknocker' playoff battle against Yankees

"This is so official," he chuckled, one day before he will climb the Yankee Stadium mound in Game 1 of the American League wild-card series Tuesday, Sept. 29 .

Yeah, Tolle is accustomed to and seems quite comfortable in less formal gatherings, perhaps at his locker in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse and certainly on his journey from Oklahoma to Wichita State to TCU and up the ladder in Boston's organization until seizing a role as their ace of the future and, increasingly, the present.

His Game 1 assignment is a nod to a fantastic season during which he struck out 171 batters in 148 ⅔ innings as Boston won 15 of his 26 starts since he was summoned from Class AAA for good April 23.