Why Payton Tolle is the perfect pitcher for this moment

NEW YORK - "A real slobberknocker."

It was pure Payton Tolle. Unique. Entertaining. And on point.

The answer the Red Sox pitcher gave when asked how he thought Game 1 of the wild card would shake out was a homage to his father, Chad, who had always wanted his son to drop the informal noun in a press conference. Maybe it was because of an affinity for the person who popularized the 14-letter word, wrestling commentator Jim Ross, or perhaps it was simply due to the delight "slobberknocker" has brought sports fans ever since it first surfaced in college football circles back in the 1960's.

Whatever the reason, it just fit. Just like this pitcher in these playoffs.

To understand the perfection of the word placement, one just needs to open up the Oxford English Dictionary. There you find two descriptions: 1. A violent collision or heavy blow: It originally emerged in Southern American football culture to describe a tackle or hit so bone-crushing that it would literally "knock the slobber (spit) out" of an opponent; 2. A fiercely contested match: It commonly describes a hard-fought, highly aggressive game or physical confrontation

Hard to argue that Tolle was right on the money when trying to paint the picture of what awaits at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night.

As Tolle spoke Monday afternoon, there was still some uncertainty about exactly what the list of participants for Game 1 would look like, with particular attention focused on Aaron Judge's availability. But what we did know was that there was going to be a pitching matchup between Tolle and Cam Schlittler that immediately suggested it was, indeed, going to be a slobberknocker.

For Yankees fans, feeling they have the right guy at the right time is no big leap of faith. Schlitter is going to win the American League Cy Young Award, finishing the regular season with a 1.95 ERA in 33 starts. He hasn't allowed more than one earned run since Aug. 3 and has completely dominated in every one of his five meetings against the Red Sox, with the exception of one (when he still didn't allow an earned run but suffered the loss).

It's one thing to say you're going to feed off the animosity of the opposing fan base, as has been the case when it comes to the Walpole natives tone upon any back-and-forth with Boston baseball followers, but it's next-level when those receipts are cashed in time and time again. Even the most ardent Schlittler critic would have to admit the pitcher has done a pretty good job of backing up his bravado against his former hometown team, carrying an 0.56 ERA in five starts against the Red Sox.

Still, as satisfied Yankees fans are with their Game 1 representative, the Red Sox faithful should be equally as pleased.

Tolle is exactly who New England sports fans should want to represent them in this moment on this mound.

Make no mistake about it, Tolle's ability to get outs is a big part of this equation. In the last two months, there have been few pitchers in the big leagues better than the lefty, who has a 2.59 ERA in his last 10 starts, with the Red Sox winning eight of them. In his two starts against the Yankees this season, he has also allowed just one run over 13 innings, striking out 18.

It stretches beyond the number, however.

When Tolle came out of the bullpen to face his one batter last postseason at Yankee Stadium, he wasn't shy about describing the jog in as something where he didn't feel his feet touch the ground. He was honest.

"I think it's a great experience, you know," he said when asked about the postseason experience. "Even just going like walking out there to the pen last year, you see like like how much the fans interact, how how bought in they are. You see how much it means. You get to hear how loud it gets, and just trying to turn that into white noise the best you can."

On Monday, the rookie was also transparent about his curiosity, such as the scope of the interview room or what being part of this event means to him. Microphones or. no microphones, it was all just one big honest conversation, which is the only way Tolle knows.

"I think I've tried to be super locked in. It just doesn't work for me," he explained. "I just end up putting too much pressure on myself. I just have found that the way that I work the best is trying to be comfortable and trying to smile as much as I can out there."

What you see with Tolle is what you get. And, in the Red Sox case, what they're getting is the perfect fit for what promises to be a memorable moment.