With the New York Yankees' backs against the wall in their AL Wild Card series clash against the Boston Red Sox, they had to rely on rookie starter Cam Schlittler to get them over the line. Schlittler had a very good rookie year (2.96 ERA in 14 starts, 73.0 innings in the regular season), but in a postseason do-or-die setting, it's always a big task to expect a rookie to come up huge.
But Schlittler turned in a performance that not even the wildest Yankees fan could have thought of, as he pitched eight innings of shutout ball and struck out 12 (walking none and allowing just five hits) en route to a 4-0 win for New York, punching their ticket to the ALDS to face the Toronto Blue Jays in the process.
Schlittler has emerged as a big-time performer for the Yankees and someone they'll be looking to rely on as they look to get over the World Series hump for the first time since 2009. They have certainly been breaking historical trends; the 2025 Yankees became the first team in the Wild Card series era (2022 onwards) to come back from a 1-0 deficit in a Wild Card series. But that's not the only historical trend that the Yankees snapped.
As pointed out by Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Schlittler became just the second pitcher in Yankees history to throw eight or more innings of shutout baseball in their postseason debut since Waite Hoyt did so for the team in pinstripes during Game 2 of the 1921 World Series.
This just puts in perspective how much magic there was in Schlittler's right arm on Thursday night, as the Red Sox hitters stood little chance of mounting any offense against him. This guy was drafted by the Yankees in the seventh round in 2022, so for him to emerge as an ace-level pitcher if his Thursday night performance is any indication is simply found money.
Boston native Cam Schlittler powers Yankees past Red Sox
Schlittler's family must be very conflicted as to which team to root for. Of course, they'll be rooting for their own family, but the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry stretches far beyond blood. Nevertheless, it was the Yankees that believed in Schlittler coming out of Northeastern University, and he announced his big-league arrival in one of the best ways imaginable.
The 24-year-old could be in line to start for the Yankees in Game 3 of their ALDS clash against the Blue Jays. Could he work his magic yet again the next time he trots to the mound?
