Mariners designated hitter Dominic Canzone had his guard up after hitting a routine grounder to Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle in the third inning on Monday.
Canzone wasn’t sure if he was about to get leveled by the linebacker-sized 6-foot-6, 250-pound lefty.
“I was definitely confused at first because I saw him barreling down on me,” Canzone said Wednesday. “And I was like, ‘What is he doing?’ And then he had a huge smile on his face, so I was like, ‘All right, he’s gonna he’s gonna say something.’ He goes, ‘I’m gonna give you a hug, brother,’ or something along those lines, and then I was like, ‘all right, this is a cool, funny moment.’”
Canzone said he’s never been tagged out with a hug.
He also reiterated what Tolle said Monday — the two had never previously met.
Tolle did reach out to Canzone on social media after what’s become a viral moment.
“He hit me up and was just like, ‘Thanks for being cool about it.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it was a funny moment.’ It’s pretty cool. So yeah, seems like a great guy.”
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy referenced the moment on Wednesday afternoon when asked about Tolle’s personality.
“He hugged a guy on the field,” Tracy said. “He’s awesome. He’s obviously a great competitor, but he does it in a different way. He’s been through so much in his own life. He truly plays the game, when you watch him, this guy enjoys what he’s doing. He has a full joy of going out there and competing, regardless of how it turns out. And he carries that same personality even when he’s not pitching. He lifts people up around him.
“He’s always smiling. When he comes out to the dugout when he’s not pitching, it’s one of the most exciting to see him come through, doing all of the handshakes. He just — the best way I can describe it is there are certain people who have an innate ability to just lift people up around them just by seeing them. That’s who he is.”
Tolle’s next start is Sunday at 1:35 PM ET in Baltimore against the Orioles.