The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox kicked off a decisive Game 3 in the American League Wild Card Series on Thursday. The pitching matchup stole the show early, though. Boston manager Alex Cora turned to rookie Connelly Early to start the game for his team. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone gave the ball to first-year Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler to get things started.
Schlittler played well down the stretch of his first regular season in the big leagues. However, there were some questions about how he would factor into Boone's rotation. The manager answered those questions by naming him the third starter behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. After forcing a Game 3 after a dramatic 4-3 win against the Red Sox, Schlitter stepped up for New York.
Even though it was his first taste of playoff baseball, both rookies came out with guns blazing. According to Major League Baseball reporter Bryan Hoch, Schlittler threw harder in the first inning than any New York playoff pitcher has since 2008.
“Cam Schlittler in the first inning tonight: 6 100+ mph pitches,” Hoch said. “Every other Yankees SP in the playoffs in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008): 5 100+ mph pitches.”
Boone showed his team some love after getting a win in Game 2. After losing the series opener, the manager leaned into his offensive talent. He started both Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the next game. Both were key to New York's win. The veteran manager hopes that he pressed the right buttons with his decision to start Schlittler in his first playoff game.
Early and Schlittler both got off to great starts in the game, dominating the opposing offense for the first two innings. With everything on the line in the oldest rivalry in baseball, both rookies came to play. If Schlittler's velocity maintains itself, he could find himself in elite company.
