NEW YORK — Cam Schlittler takes the mound Tuesday night with two stakes in play.
The Yankees need to protect their position in the American League playoff race. Their young ace has a chance to strengthen his Cy Young case.
The 25-year-old right-hander faces Colorado at Yankee Stadium. Another strong start would give the Yankees momentum as they open a six-game homestand.
Schlittler enters the start 12-6 with a 2.04 ERA, 210 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP across 171 2/3 innings. His Sept. 2 performance in Anaheim demonstrated why he has become the Yankees’ most reliable starter this season.
He held the Angels to one run on two hits over eight innings, struck out nine, walked none and left after 99 pitches. New York eventually won 6-3 in 10 innings, but Schlittler received no decision after a seventh-inning homer erased his lead.
That outing gave Schlittler 19 starts with no more than one earned run, a franchise record he now owns ahead of Ron Guidry, Whitey Ford and Jack Chesbro. It also reinforced the value of his workload.
The Yankees have received more than 171 innings from a pitcher in his first full major league season, reducing the strain on a pitching staff that has repeatedly carried an inconsistent offense. His development has become central to the Yankees’ postseason plans.
The Yankees begin the night 81-62, four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and two games ahead of Boston for the top wild-card position. Aaron Judge’s return from the injured list adds a needed bat, but the club still has 19 regular-season games to determine its October position.
For Schlittler, the next start is another opportunity to establish that his season is not merely a collection of dominant short outings. It is a sustained, high-volume performance that can withstand scrutiny against the league’s best pitchers.
A misstep in West Sacramento widens the gap
The immediate change came Monday in Sacramento, where Toronto’s Dylan Cease allowed five runs, four earned, over five innings against the Athletics. Cease gave up four hits, walked two and struck out six on 94 pitches. His ERA rose from 2.25 to 2.40, leaving Schlittler with a 0.36-run advantage entering Tuesday’s start.
Cease received a no-decision after Toronto rallied to tie the game in the ninth. The Athletics won 6-5 on Jeff McNeil’s walk-off infield single. Hogan Harris earned the victory, and Louis Varland took the loss. Cease’s record remained intact, but his ERA changed considerably.
Cease had allowed one earned run in his previous 12 innings. Monday was an interruption to strong recent form, not a season-defining collapse. He remains 10-5 with 227 strikeouts, 67 walks and a 1.04 WHIP in 161 1/3 innings. The Yankees can widen the gap before Cease’s next projected start against Baltimore.
The Cy Young case extends beyond ERA
The Yankees’ Cy Young comparison remains more complicated than the two ERA figures suggest. Schlittler has thrown 10 1/3 more innings and issued 25 fewer walks. Cease has 17 more strikeouts and a higher strikeout rate. FanGraphs’ fielding-independent pitching measure also favors Cease, 2.46 to 2.62, reflecting the value of his strikeouts and home-run prevention independent of many defensive outcomes.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi gave Schlittler a narrow advantage Sept. 2, before Cease’s latest outing.
“As you look at it right now, it’s probably a slight edge to Cam Schlittler,” Morosi wrote.
The updated numbers strengthen that argument without settling the award. ERA measures runs actually allowed, while FIP emphasizes outcomes a pitcher controls more directly. Neither statistic determines the winner alone. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America votes after the regular season.
What another dominant start would change
The Yankees have a measurable opportunity Tuesday. Schlittler has allowed 39 earned runs in 171 2/3 innings. Using those official totals, six scoreless innings would lower his ERA to 1.98. Seven scoreless innings would bring it to 1.96. Either result would widen his ERA lead beyond four-tenths of a run.
The calculation also shows how quickly the race could tighten. Three earned runs in six innings would raise Schlittler’s ERA to 2.13. Four earned runs in five innings would lift it to 2.19. Those are hypothetical outcomes, not predictions.
Colorado is 55-88, but the Yankees cannot assume an easy assignment. The Rockies have productive hitters, including Hunter Goodman, and Schlittler must still execute against a major league lineup. Tuesday’s performance must stand on its own.
Schlittler keeps the focus on October
Schlittler has indicated that the award race is secondary to the Yankees’ broader objective. Asked about the competition, he acknowledged its closeness rather than treating his statistical lead as decisive.
“It’s going to be a close race,” Schlittler said.
The Yankees must balance his career-high workload against the possibility of pitching deep into October. Another seven- or eight-inning start would strengthen his award resume, but Aaron Boone and the pitching staff still must manage the young right-hander with the postseason in mind.
There is no verified indication that the club has limited him to protect his Cy Young statistics.
Gerrit Cole became the sixth Yankees pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in 2023, following Bob Turley, Whitey Ford, Sparky Lyle, Guidry and Roger Clemens. Schlittler is trying to join that group while helping New York secure its playoff position.
The race remains open. Cease’s stumble has given Schlittler a larger margin, and Tuesday’s start offers the Yankees ace a chance to build on it.
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