When Payton Tolle toes the rubber for the Boston Red Sox against the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night, he's going to have an encouraging voice in his head. That is, until the voice isn't so encouraging anymore. 

But even when the cheering turns to lovable criticism, it's going to put the 22-year-old left-hander in the right frame of mind.

The voice Tolle hears is that of his late mother, Jina, who died last May after battling cancer. Jine was initially told she only had a few months to live after being diagnosed. That was eight years before she passed away in May of 2024.

She was always Payton's biggest fan, and always made sure he went into every game with a grateful mindset.  

"She was my best friend and I still talk to her quite a bit. For her to go through that with the mindset she had, it poured into my brother and myself. We're here, we're going to be happy, take whatever situation is given to us and attack it with joy and a good attitude," Tolle told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche in a 1-on-1 interview at Fenway Park. "Tolle's fight; that's what we do.

"She always said to show everyone why you play the game, show that joy," continued Tolle. "That's my mantra this year, 'You've gotta have joy.' Through every level I've been through and every time I pitch, I'm going to have the most fun of anyone there. I hope everyone watching is having fun too."

Tolle's joy was apparent throughout his Major League debut at Fenway Park last Friday night, as he went toe-to-toe with Pirates ace Paul Skenes. There was passion and enthusiasm with every pitch he threw, as the rookie matched one of the best pitchers in baseball in his first-ever MLB start.

"I think I heard her a few times," Tolle said of his mom. "Before each game she would find me and embarrass me. 'Payton, you're so pretty!' I feel like I heard her say that a few times. When I walked off, I heard her say, 'I love you but you're still a hack.'"

Tolle was no hack in his debut, as he fanned eight Pirates and held Pittsburgh to just two runs off three hits in his 5.1 innings. But those were also words of encouragement from his mom, a reminder to never feel complacent and never take anything for granted. 

"Whenever it gets loud, I think of things she told me," said Tolle. 

While he was no-nonsense on the mound, it was hard to miss Tolle's smile when he was making his way back to the dugout or sitting with teammates. 

"It helps me stay loose and in my right mindset," he said. "It's pretty difficult at some points to step back, but I try to step back and have perspective. We're playing a kids game, so let's have fun."

The Red Sox honored Jina Friday night by keeping a seat empty for her and placing flowers on it for the game.

"I'm glad they didn't tell me that before the game. I would have been torn up about that. This whole organization is full of people who care about the Red Sox and players," he said. "I've seen it all the way through being drafted. People care in this organization, and there's a deep connection with everyone."

Payton Tolle's emotions during his Red Sox debut

Tolle looked calm and composed on the mound during his debut, but his emotions were ramped up to 11 on the inside. The jitters started to go away after he threw his first pitch -- a 96 mph fastball right down the middle that Pirates leadoff man Jared Triolo looked at for strike one -- but resurfaced as he continued to experience other firsts of his big league career.

"For the 24 hours after being called up, I wanted to throw that first pitch. Get there, get it going, and throw it. After that, it starts to take off and you just let the game take you," he said. "I didn't feel [the first pitch] come out of my hands. I told a friend, 'I don't know how I threw that first strike.' But after that first pitch, I felt as calm as you could be, settled in a bit and then felt my feet. Until that second strikeout until I heard that roar."

At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds -- not to mention he sports an incredible mustache -- Tolle's got that bulldog look pitchers need to possess on the mound. But he's really just a big softy, which he showed as he relished and appreciated pretty much every second of his debut. 

"I tried to take it slow the whole walk to the bullpen before the game and soak it in as much as I could," Tolle told Roche. "Fans started yelling at me, nothing but encouraging things for the first time. It was special feeling the arms of Fenway Park open up for me. 

"I tried not to look at anyone and wave, I had to act cool and make it look like I knew what I was doing," Tolle joked. "I got chills about every three minutes, just trying to soak in every moment I could."

Tolle will make his second start Friday night against the Diamondbacks, as the Red Sox continue their push for the playoffs. He's already matched his workload from last year, which he spent with TCU before breaking into the Boston farm system in 2025, so he'll be on a tight leash with the Red Sox the rest of the way.

But he showed some excellent stuff in his debut, and looks to have the makeup teams want from a late-season call-up. Whether it's as a starter or a power arm out of the bullpen, Tolle is eager to make an impact on the Red Sox any way he can.

"I'm very happy to be a part of it and grateful of the opportunity," he said. "Wherever they tell me, I'll be there."