Red Sox’s Payton Tolle Has Hilarious Exchange With Celebrity Lookalike originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Red Sox are known for their grit. That was put to the test after the emergence of Payton Tolle, who had a successful rookie season. He also won the hearts of everyone in and out of baseball.
A second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Tolle's rookie season resulted in the following: a 9-6 record with a 3.03 ERA while throwing 171 strikeouts. Tolle was electric on the mound. He also entertained, whether from his interviews or hugging players.
The hugging comes from his high school basketball days, where he hugged opposing coaches and referees. Those viral moments from the man with the mustache caught the eye of someone Tolle resembles.
"Thank you for the joy you bring," Nick Offerman said via The Joy of Baseball. "The open-mindedness, and, like curiosity, and heart, and just giggles that you bring to your work. I taught you well, my son. I noticed when you catch a pop-up, you give very, very well. Thank you for taking the lessons of your Swanson father to heart.
"And the mustache is looking great."
Was this collab on your offseason bingo!? 🤣 The apple doesn't fall far from the tree 👨👨 (via ig/joyofbaseball) https://t.co/Wl4j4zVo3V
— NESN (@NESN) October 12, 2026
Offerman was referring to his Ron Swanson character from the show "Parks and Recreation."
Tolle, 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, would later respond to Offerman’s comments, saying, "Come to my arms, papa."
While Offerman is a Cubs fan, he can’t help but appreciate what Tolle brought to the table this season. He hasn’t met Tolle in person yet, but he told Molly Knight and Joe Posnanski he’s excited for the opportunity.