SAN FRANCISCO — The best way to understand Cam Schlittler is to appreciate what he is not. Confident but not obnoxious. Smart but not an overthinker. Aware of the pressure that comes with being a Yankees starter, but not overwhelmed by it.
In fact, nothing pleased the 25-year-old more than learning he would be the club’s No. 2 starter behind Max Fried to open 2026. Temporary or not, Schlittler embraced it.
“It means a lot that the club believes in me,” Schlittler said before Friday’s game at Oracle Park. “I know what I can do, and I’m ready to show it.”
Hours later, he did exactly that. And what he showed the Giants, the Yankees and the rest of baseball was something no pitcher in pinstripes had ever done before.
Yankees right-hander dominates on a limited leash
Schlittler held the Giants to one hit over 5 1/3 innings Friday, striking out eight batters without issuing a walk. He threw 68 pitches, 60 of which were some version of a fastball, and averaged 98.5 mph with his four-seamer while topping out at 100.1 mph. He generated 13 total whiffs.
A mid-back issue during Yankees spring training had prevented Schlittler from fully building up his arm, limiting him to roughly 70 pitches. But the restricted count did nothing to dull the right-hander’s stuff.
The only Giant to reach base against Schlittler was Heliot Ramos, who slashed a two-out double in the second inning. From there, Schlittler retired the final 11 batters he faced before handing the ball to a Yankees bullpen that finished off a combined one-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory.
“There’s nothing I can do about it. It’s out of my control. It’s partially my fault just dealing with that little bit of a setback,” Schlittler said of the pitch limit. “But I’ll keep building from this week to next week, and then hopefully get up to 90 pitches in a couple starts.”
Schlittler enters Yankees record books
Friday’s outing placed Schlittler in territory no Yankees pitcher had reached before. He became the first pitcher in franchise history to record at least eight strikeouts while allowing one hit or fewer in his first start of a season.
The performance also pushed his career strikeout total to 92 through his first 15 MLB games. That ranks third all-time among Yankees pitchers through 15 career appearances, behind only Masahiro Tanaka (119) and Orlando Hernandez (100). Luis Gil (91), Dave Righetti (89), Jordan Montgomery (83), Al Downing (82), Al Leiter (81) and Shane Greene (81) trail him on the list.
Schlittler now owns a 1.86 ERA and a 30.9 percent strikeout rate over his last 12 starts, a stretch that includes his historic eight-inning, 12-strikeout, zero-walk shutout of the Red Sox in the decisive Game 3 of the 2025 AL Wild Card Series. That postseason gem made him the first pitcher in MLB history to post 12-plus strikeouts, zero walks and eight-plus scoreless innings in a playoff game.
“Right where he left off last year,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “It’s impressive. He’s got the 100 mph fastball, but the feel for the offspeed and filling up the zone, especially with the defense we have, it’s going to be big-time for him.”
From seventh-round pick to Yankees ace material
Schlittler’s rise has been anything but conventional. A seventh-round pick out of Northeastern University in 2022, he arrived in the Yankees system throwing in the high 80s to low 90s. The organization saw room for growth and got it. His fastball now averages 98 mph and touches triple digits.
He spent 2023 and 2024 climbing through the minors, earning South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year honors in 2024 after leading all Yankees farmhands with 154 strikeouts in 120 2/3 innings. A midseason call-up in July 2025, after Clarke Schmidt’s season-ending Tommy John surgery, gave Schlittler his chance. He finished the year with a 2.96 ERA, 84 strikeouts and a 1.22 WHIP across 14 starts.
One rival manager summed up what the rest of the league sees during spring training.
“He’s what they look like,” the manager told Newsday. “He’s a scary [expletive].” By “they,” the manager meant potential ace.
Yankees teammates marvel at the full arsenal
Schlittler’s pitch mix is unusual for a starting pitcher. Of his 68 pitches Friday, 60 were fastball variants. His four-seamer, cutter and sinker all move differently, giving hitters multiple looks at elite velocity. He mixed in curveballs that reached the low 80s, adding another layer of deception.
Yankees center fielder Cody Bellinger watched it all unfold from his position.
“Obviously, an electric fastball, has a curveball he can land for a strike. The cutter, sinker’s going different ways, and he understands how to command both of them. That’s a good recipe right there,” Bellinger said.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the performance exactly what the organization expected when it handed Schlittler the second spot in the rotation.
Schlittler threw the five fastest pitches of the entire game, according to Baseball Savant: 100.1 mph, 99.8, 99.5, 99.5 and 99.4. His most dominant inning may have been the fifth, when he struck out Jung Hoo Lee on an 86-mph curveball and then froze Ramos with a 98-mph heater.
Yankees pitching staff keeps rewriting history
Schlittler’s gem was part of a larger Yankees pitching takeover to open 2026. Combined with Fried’s 6 1/3 scoreless innings on Opening Night, Yankees starters have not allowed a run through the first two games. It marked the first time in franchise history the club opened a season with consecutive shutouts.
Fried and Schlittler are the first Yankees duo since Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte in 2003 to each throw scoreless outings in the team’s first two games of a season.
The Yankees have done all of this without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt, all of whom started the season on the injured list. When Cole returns, potentially by late May, the Yankees could field a 1-2-3 rotation of Fried, Cole and Schlittler.
“Obviously, Max was great. The bullpen was great. The bullpen was electric today as well,” Schlittler said. “I’m really excited for Will to get going and get the sweep.”
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