In order to take the AL East lead away from the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Yankees would need to sweep the division leaders. Playing the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium would give the Bronx Bombers homefield advantage. Slated to oppose Toronto ace Kevin Gausman in the series opener Friday evening was Yankees rookie sensation Cam Schlittler. The top prospect has been absolutely electric since his major league debut. However, the rookie finally hit a speed bump against the Jays. Canadian sports giant Sportsnet shared via X (formerly Twitter) the moment when Schlittler was pulled after allowing four earned runs in under two innings.

“The Yankees pull Cam Schlittler after 66 pitched in just 1.2 innings 😯,” posted the Canadian-based sports channel. “Blue Jays lead 4-0.”

Even with this streak of dominance to start his career, it was fair to assume that Schlittler would fall back to Earth at some point. After all, he's still a rookie who hasn't surpassed his prospect eligibility yet. The right-hander's ascendance throughout the Yankees system has been one of the team's biggest success stories as of late. It wouldn't be surprising to see him bounce back and claim a spot in New York's potential postseason rotation. Can Schlittler rebound in his next start a few days from now?

Cam Schlittler has first stumble in Yankees tenure

New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) reacts during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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At the moment, the Blue Jays lead the Yankees 5-1 in the sixth inning. Veteran Ryan Yarbrough has once again come on for the Bombers and helped the team stay in the game. Even though he allowed a home run to Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Yarbrough has kept his former team off balance. Friday's matchup is the first time that Schlittler is only the second time the 24-year-old didn't get past five innings. MLB posted just how nasty Schlittler was in August on X before Friday's start.

“Cam Schlittler had himself a month 👏,” reported the league's official page. “Can he continue his dominance tonight against the Blue Jays?”

Unfortunately for Schlittler and the Yankees, that dominance did not continue. Despite the current deficit, many fans know that this Yankees offense can make a four-run deficit pretty quickly. Team captain Aaron Judge finally returned to the outfield in the Friday night divisional clash as well. Can New York come from behind to win the series opener? If so, Schlittler's first rough patch would still have a happy ending.