Boston Red Sox fans have a middle name for Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone that begins with the letter “f,” and New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler is on the verge of being given that same middle name by the New England faithful.
Schlittler mowed down the Red Sox in Game 1 of the Yankees’ American League Wild Card Series showdown against their AL East rival on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, as New York trounced Boston, 9-0. And, for Schlittler, this is just the beginning.
“The job’s not done. We got to get another win tomorrow, but it’s very well known that if you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal, you got to do it in the postseason,” Schlittler said in his postgame press conference. “Go out there and have dominant starts and put the team in a position to win. That’s kind of the most important thing.
“I thought a lot of guys today did a great job of that, and we’re definitely headed in the right direction.”
Schlittler recorded 10 strikeouts and surrendered just three baserunners (two hits and one walk) over 6 ⅓ shutout innings; he threw 117 pitches.
Of course, this is the second consecutive year that Schlittler has muzzled Boston’s lineup in the playoffs, as the right-hander logged 12 strikeouts and pitched eight scoreless innings in the series-clinching Game 3 of the Yankees’ 2025 AL Wild Card round tilt against the Red Sox. Through his first three postseason starts, Schlittler sports an 0.87 ERA.
In the 2026 regular season, Schlittler led the AL in ERA (1.95), ERA+ (215) and wins above replacement among pitchers (seven), while boasting an 0.92 WHIP and totaling 239 strikeouts over 193 ⅔ innings pitched (33 starts).
Moreover, Schlittler, who grew up in Walpole, Mass. — which is roughly 40 minutes south of Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox — gave up merely two earned runs over the four starts (24 ⅓ innings pitched) he made against Boston in the regular season, with its offense hitting just .174 off him.
As for the Yankees’ offense, designated hitter Ben Rice had a night for the ages, finishing 4 for 5 with two home runs, a double and six RBIs, including an eighth-inning grand slam. Elsewhere, catcher Austin Wells had an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning and a sacrifice fly in the eighth, Luis García Jr. had an RBI ground out in the seventh and rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. tallied three hits.
Meanwhile, the Yankees got scoreless relief appearances from Paul Blackburn (1 ⅔ innings) and John Schreiber (one inning).
Game 2 of the series is on Tuesday night, with the Yankees sending left-hander Max Fried (2.80 ERA and an 0.99 WHIP) to the mound and the Red Sox countering with right-hander and former New York starter Sonny Gray (2.72 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP).
