Payton Tolle made a notable major-league debut, pitching 5.1 innings with two earned runs and eight strikeouts while sitting near 100 mph early and around 95 mph later. He threw 50 pitches with nine whiffs, yielding an 18% swinging-strike rate. His four-seam fastball, cutter, and changeup each produced whiffs; the cutter had a 65% strike rate. Tolle issued two walks and largely missed on arm-side offerings, consistent with some overthrowing typical of debuts. He did not face any left-handed hitters. Tolle projects as a potent multi-inning reliever option in a shortened playoff pitching staff.
Major league debuts are always weird for pitchers. They come into the game with extra adrenaline, velocity is through the roof, and command probably suffers as a result. When Tolle took the mound in the first inning, he was throwing almost 100 mph. His command was just fine, too; he threw 13 pitches, 11 of which went for strikes. As the game went on, his velocity fell off, closer to 95 mph, but the pitch was still excellent throughout the game.
It returned nine whiffs on 50 pitches, an absurd 18% swinging strike rate. Behind his four-seam, his cutter and changeup showed flashes as well. Each pitch generated two whiffs, while the cutter returned a 65% strike rate. I'm also just now noticing that Tolle didn't face a single left-handed hitter tonight, which makes his final line of 5.1 innings pitched, two earned runs, and eight strikeouts all the more impressive.
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