One minute, Red Sox starter Payton Tolle was fielding a routine comebacker to the mound. The subsequent, he was tapping into his inner Olaf.
Payton Tolle likes heat hugs.
This one occurred to come back within the third inning of the Sox’ 9-8, extra-inning win over the Seattle Mariners.
Mariners designated hitter Dominic Canzone bounced a floor ball again to Tolle, who got here off the mound to glove it, then trotted towards Canzone alongside the first-base line.
Instead of slapping him with a tag, Tolle greeted him with open arms.
“It just kind of happened,” Tolle mentioned. “I was right there in front of him and was like, just bring it in for the big one.”
Did he know Canzone?
“Eh … no,” he mentioned.
Did it matter?
“I do now,” he mentioned.
Was it awkward?
“Prolly for a second but then like, eh, this is just going to happen.”
In the dugout or the clubhouse, Tolle is known for being a hugger. Now the love has reached the enjoying discipline.
“I like giving a good hug whether it’s Roman [Anthony] after scoring or whatever it is,” Tolle mentioned. “It’s a lot more fun. Definitely not a hug after a homer I gave up.”
The Sox’ rally for a 9-8 walk-off win, lengthy after Tolle’s 5⅔ innings of labor had been over, put a smile on his face. His teammates weren’t shocked to see Tolle spreading the enjoyment.
“Payton’s just a special person,” mentioned Trevor Story, who delivered the walk-off RBI single. “He plays the game like a little kid, which I feel like we all should.”
Julian Benbow could be reached at julian.benbow@globe.com.