Schlittler stands tall despite undone by Yankees defense, Ortiz’s vile word

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NEW YORK — The New York Yankees saw their 2025 season come to an end Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, losing 5-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. The defeat gave Toronto a 3-1 series win and sent the Yankees home far sooner than they expected.

Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler once again showed poise beyond his years. His strong outing, however, was wasted by defensive miscues and a silent offense. The 24-year-old threw 6.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, but only two were earned. A costly seventh-inning error by second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. changed the game’s momentum and ended the Yankees’ hopes of extending the series.

Schlittler struck out two without issuing a walk, relying on pinpoint command to keep Toronto’s dangerous lineup under control. He threw 88 pitches, 69 of them for strikes, displaying remarkable precision for someone making only his second postseason start.

“I thought [Schlittler] was good,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He didn’t have the dominant swing-and-miss stuff. I thought he pitched really effectively [and] was filling up the strike zone. I thought he made a lot of key pitches when he needed to, mixed well.”

Defense fails Schlittler at critical moment

The game’s turning point came in the seventh inning. The Yankees trailed just 2-1, and Schlittler was still in control. Ernie Clement opened the frame with a single, followed by a sharp grounder up the middle from Andrés Giménez. It looked like a routine double play that could have ended the inning.

But Chisholm mishandled the ball, letting it roll into center field. Instead of two outs and no runners, Toronto had men on first and third with no outs. The defensive lapse proved disastrous.

Boone pulled Schlittler immediately and called on reliever Devin Williams to try to escape the jam. The move didn’t work. Nathan Lukes ripped a two-run single to left field, pushing Toronto’s lead to 4-1 and silencing the Yankee Stadium crowd.

“Got the inning ending DP ball and was let down by the defense,” one observer noted. “Hell of a start battling without getting many whiffs. That one will sting.”

The Blue Jays tacked on another run in the eighth off Camilo Doval before closer Jeff Hoffman sealed the Yankees’ elimination.

Rookie makes postseason history

Schlittler wedges a lone battle. While he did everything he could, the Yankees offense once again failed to deliver.

Despite the loss, Schlittler’s postseason performance will be remembered for all the right reasons. His 6.1 innings Wednesday, combined with eight shutout frames in the Wild Card Round against Boston, gave him 14.1 innings across two playoff starts. That made him the first pitcher to log 14 or more innings in back-to-back postseason starts since Logan Webb did it for the Giants in 2021.

Schlittler finished October with a 1.26 ERA, allowing only two earned runs over 14.1 innings while striking out 14 and walking none. For a rookie, that kind of dominance is rare.

“I think we all understand how excited we are about Cam and his future and what he could become in our rotation moving forward,” Boone said. “He had a phenomenal season and finished strong tonight.”

The Massachusetts native joined an elite group of pitchers. Only 11 others in the last decade have thrown 14-plus innings in consecutive playoff starts, a list that includes Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg and Madison Bumgarner.

Ortiz stuns FOX panel with inappropriate comment

Schlittler’s name unexpectedly became the focus of controversy off the field. During Tuesday’s FOX broadcast, former Red Sox star David Ortiz made an inappropriate comment about the Yankees rookie while discussing the pronunciation of his last name.

When asked to say it aloud, Ortiz replied, “Sounds like Hitler.”

The shocking remark drew instant backlash. Host Kevin Burkhardt and former Yankees greats Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, who were on set, reacted with visible discomfort.

Rodriguez blurted out, “Oh my god,” as Jeter quickly cut in with, “Let’s go to a break, guys.”

Ortiz attempted to defuse the situation by adding, “I’m going [with] Cam. I don’t want to get into trouble.” Burkhardt closed the segment by saying, “You just call him Cam, Papi. Maybe it’ll be Mr. Cam depending on how he pitches tomorrow.”

The moment went viral on social media and sparked criticism. The Walpole, Massachusetts native, who was drafted by the Yankees in the seventh round in 2022 out of Northeastern University, has seen broadcasters mispronounce his name repeatedly this season. Still, Ortiz’s comment crossed a line that stunned viewers and drew widespread condemnation.

Quiet clubhouse reflects painful reality

After the final out, the Yankees clubhouse was silent. Players sat at their lockers in disbelief. Schlittler described the somber scene with the calm of a veteran.

“Quiet. I mean, again, you know, leaders in the room stepped up, Booney stepped up, you know, they spoke and we listened,” Schlittler said. “So, again, the angle is the same. This is, again, you just got to try and, you know, feel the fire and take it into your offseason training and, again, get ready for spring training and take it into next season.”

Schlittler will enter the 2026 season as a key part of the Yankees rotation. With Max Fried and Carlos Rodón leading the staff and Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt returning from injuries, the rookie has solidified his place among the team’s young core.

“It’s experience I’ll make sure to take into next season and fuel for next year,” Schlittler said.

The Yankees, who began the year with the third-highest payroll in Major League Baseball, now face another offseason of reflection. Their star-studded roster delivered 94 regular-season wins but once again fell short when it mattered most.

For all their promise, the Yankees’ October woes continued. And for Cam Schlittler, his performance stood as one of the few bright spots in another postseason filled with heartbreak and controversy.

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