Cam Schlittler has the baseball world buzzing after his star-making start in Game 3 of the New York Yankees’ ALWCS matchup against the Boston Red Sox. The rookie pitcher stepped up for New York, shutting down Boston over eight scoreless innings. The dominant outing allowed the Yankees to escape with an unprecedented Wild Card Series win after losing Game 1 to the Red Sox.
New York advanced to the ALDS and a meeting with the Toronto Blue Jays. But baseball analysts aren’t ready to move on from Schlittler’s remarkable performance. MLB Central host Lauren Shehadi asked Bob Costas for the word that best describes the 24-year-old righty’s start in Game 3.
“Electric. He was electric last night,” the veteran sportscaster responded, per MLB Network. “Twelve Ks. Firing fastballs past guys up in the zone. Commanding the secondary pitches. He had everything happening. And if you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t think he’s a rookie,” Costas said.
Cam Schlittler shined in postseason debut
The Yankees-Red Sox clash actually featured two rookie starting pitchers. Boston’s first-year phenom Connelly Early took the mound for the Red Sox in Game 3. It was just the second time in postseason history that two rookies met in an elimination game.
While Early impressed at times in his fifth-career start, Schlittler stole the show. The Yankees’ hurler became the first pitcher to ever throw eight scoreless innings while recording 12 strikeouts without issuing a walk in the playoffs. He’s also the first Yankees pitcher in 104 years to toss eight shutout innings in a postseason debut.
And like many fans, Costas was hoping Schlittler would get an opportunity to return to the mound in the ninth. “I wanted to see the complete game. I wanted to see him walk off having clinched the series.”
However, Schlittler reached 107 pitches after a 1-2-3 eighth inning. While he was still throwing upper-90s heat, 107 pitches marked a new career high. And manager Aaron Boone chose to keep Schlittler in the dugout, ending a nearly flawless start.
David Bednar closed out the 4-0 Wild Card-clinching victory with a relatively uneventful ninth inning. With the win the Yankees move on to face the Blue Jays in the Division Series, beginning Saturday.
Luis Gil was named the starter for Game 1. The former AL Rookie of the Year will attempt to keep the Yankees’ momentum going against Toronto.
