Topps Now: Aug. 7, Aug. 6 and May 4, 2026

I had a few Topps Now cards come in around the same time.

 

On August 7, Payton Tolle had one of the best games of his career.  The Red Sox beat the Athletics 13-1 with Tolle pitching six innings and logging 14 strikeouts.  He had a no-hitter going for awhile and ended up giving up just two hits and a run.  He got the win with Raymond Burgos getting the save.  On the hitting side, Jarren Duran hit a homer and recently-acquired catcher Jake Rogers hit two doubles.  Rogers would not last in Boston, he was just a placeholder while Adley Rutschman recovered from his injury.

One of the most entertaining games of the year was the absolutely crazy final game of a three-game set against the White Sox.  The Red Sox trailed five times in this game, and still ended up winning.  The last few innings were particularly crazy.  The White Sox led in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th innings and the Red Sox kept coming back before eventually winning in the 13th.  In the 9th, Wilyer Abreu (pictured on the left) singled to drive in Eli White to tie it.  The White Sox scored two runs in the tenth on a homer by former Red Sox prospect Chase Meidroth.  Andruw Monasterio doubled in Abreu and then Anthony Seigler drove in the tying run with a flyball to score Jahmai Jones.  The White Sox took another lead into the 11th, but Abreu came through again to drive in Nick Sogard on a flyball.  The White Sox again scored in the 12th, but Rogers drove in Jarren Duran on a flyout.  Finally, Brayan Bello held the White Sox scoreless in the 13th and Caleb Durbin singled to score Sogard for the win.  

This is obviously not a Topps Now card, but it came in around the same time.  I have another City Connect relic card of Rafaela in the yellow jerseys, so I had to grab one in the forest greens.

It seems weird to think about now, but May 4 was Payton Tolle's first Major League win.  He came up in 2025, but innings limits and a leaky bullpen prevented him from getting that first Major League win.  He did not start the season in Boston either.  He pitched seven innings, giving up two runs, walking one and striking out eight.  The major offense was provided by a Jarren Duran homer.