NEW YORK — Cam Schlittler entered another October meeting with Boston carrying the kind of reputation that usually eliminates surprise. The Red Sox had already seen the triple-digit fastball, the strike-throwing and the calm that turned a rookie into their postseason problem a year ago.
The Yankees right-hander did not need much help from that reputation Tuesday. Schlittler worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 9-0 Yankees win at Yankee Stadium, allowing two singles and one walk while striking out 10. He threw 77 strikes among a career-high 117 pitches and earned the victory as New York took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series.
The performance also removed any easy explanation for last October. Schlittler had blanked Boston for eight innings with 12 strikeouts in the deciding game of the 2025 Wild Card Series. This time he returned as a 25-year-old ace coming off a 14-6 season with an MLB-best 1.95 ERA, 239 strikeouts and 193 2/3 innings across 33 starts for the Yankees.
Boston therefore had a full season of evidence, a previous October loss and five earlier career starts against him. Schlittler still retired 13 consecutive hitters at one point and finished with a career-high 24 swings and misses. He generated 18 of those misses in the first four innings, tied for the second-most in that span of a postseason game since pitch tracking began in 2008.
That made Game 1 less about whether Schlittler could repeat one extraordinary night and more about how the Red Sox might finally change the matchup. They knew the Yankees ace would attack the strike zone. They knew the velocity could reach 101 mph. They also knew waiting for his fastball to fade had not worked. What they did not solve was the adjustment hidden inside his pitch mix.
Schlittler changes pitch Boston had to honor
Boston prepared for velocity. Schlittler gave it far more curveball than it had seen during the regular season.
Pitch Profiler logged 32 curveballs among his 117 pitches, or 27.4%, after Schlittler used the pitch only 9.8% during the regular season. The curve averaged 85.8 mph, produced a 50% whiff rate and finished four strikeouts. Aaron Boone said it may have been Schlittler’s best curveball of the season.
Schlittler explained why the pitch has become more trustworthy.
“The amount of miss and weak contact I’m getting with that (the curve), I’m feeling like I’m in a really good spot with it,” Schlittler said.
His four-seam fastball still averaged 98.6 mph. Boston had to defend two different speeds and shapes from the start.
Boston matchup reaches legendary territory
Through six career starts against the Red Sox, including postseason, Schlittler owns a 0.47 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings, an 11.41 strikeouts-per-nine rate. Since 1913, no other MLB pitcher has combined a sub-0.50 ERA with at least 11 strikeouts per nine over his first six starts against any opponent.
Schlittler became the 56th pitcher to make multiple postseason starts against Boston. He is only the second to record at least 10 strikeouts twice in those games. The other is Bob Gibson, the Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young Award winner.
Schlittler grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts, rooted for the Red Sox and pitched at Northeastern before the Yankees drafted him in 2022. He has now thrown 14 1/3 scoreless postseason innings against Boston with 22 strikeouts.
Three postseason starts have already rewritten Yankees records
Schlittler has two postseason games with at least 10 strikeouts, tying the Yankees record held by Orlando Hernandez, Bob Turley, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina. He is the first Yankees pitcher with multiple scoreless postseason outings of 10-plus strikeouts.
Only Justin Verlander, Sandy Koufax, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson and Cliff Lee had previously produced multiple scoreless postseason starts with double-digit strikeouts. Schlittler is also the second pitcher with at least 10 strikeouts in two of his first three postseason appearances, joining Stephen Strasburg.
His 24 strikeouts are the most by a Yankees pitcher through three career postseason games. He is also the only pitcher through three postseason appearances with an ERA below 1.00, at least 24 strikeouts and fewer than 20 baserunners allowed.
Boone’s 117-pitch decision underlines Yankees trust
Schlittler’s 117 pitches were the most by a Yankees postseason pitcher since CC Sabathia threw 121 in Game 5 of the 2012 ALDS. Boone sent him back for the seventh after 107 pitches through six.
“No debate to send him out there,” Boone said.
Schlittler left after a one-out single, with the sellout crowd of 48,437 standing and chanting “M-V-P.” He acknowledged the moment afterward.
“We’ve already got an MVP in this locker room (Aaron Judge), he’s won three of them. It’s a good feeling, I wouldn’t say I am an MVP but it’s good to embrace that from the fans,” Schlittler said.
Max Fried later summarized the big Yankees season that put Schlittler in that position.
“You’re talking about a guy that had an unbelievable season, made every single start, had a sub-2.00 ERA, going to win the Cy Young,” Fried said.
The Yankees need one more win to move into the ALDS. Whenever Schlittler takes the ball next, Game 1 has changed the scouting problem: preparing for his velocity no longer means preparing for the whole pitcher.
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