Cam Schlittler grew up rooting for the Boston Red Sox. But on Thursday, the rookie starter became a New York Yankees legend. Schlittler delivered a historically great performance as the Yankees added a new chapter to their storied rivalry with the Red Sox. Facing elimination in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, New York advanced to the ALDS on the strength of Schlittler’s 12-strikeout gem.
But before pitching the biggest game of his life, the 24-year-old righty discovered that some Red Sox fans had been harassing his mom on social media, causing her to make her account private. The provocation made Game 3 personal for Schlittler. And he responded by deleting the Red Sox with eight scoreless innings.
After the clutch, series-clinching outing Schlittler told reporters that the offensive posts “100%” provided additional motivation, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.
“I think they learned their lesson,” Schlittler added.
Cam Schlittler leads Yankees past Red Sox in ALWCS
The harassing posts felt like a betrayal to the Walpole, Mass native. “I get it, it’s part of the game. I was just kind of disappointed in the fact that, just being from that area, I wasn’t really expecting it to go that far,” Schlittler said.
But ultimately, the young hurler used the incident to his advantage. “I was able to channel that energy and go out there and perform.”
Schlittler became the first pitcher ever to throw eight scoreless innings while recording 12 strikeouts and issuing no walks in a postseason game. He’s also the first Yankees pitcher in 104 years to toss eight shutout innings in a playoff debut.
Schlittler stepped up in a huge spot. Thursday’s matchup marked the fourth time New York and Boston met in a postseason elimination game. And the Yankees’ unprecedented win set up a date with another AL East foe.
New York will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS. The two teams finished the regular season with identical records. But the Yankees had to settle for a Wild Card berth as the Blue Jays won the season series.
Luis Gil was named the Game 1 starter for New York. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year will square off against Blue Jays’ veteran Kevin Gausman.
