In a matchup dripping with irony, Cam Schlittler, the 24-year-old right-hander from Walpole, Massachusetts, took the mound for the New York Yankees on Thursday night and dismantled his childhood team, the Boston Red Sox. The son of Needham Police Chief John Schlittler, who grew up idolizing Fenway Park heroes, pitched eight scoreless innings in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series, striking out 12 and walking none. It was a performance for the ages, one that etched his name into postseason lore as the Yankees blanked Boston 4-0, advancing to the ALDS while sending the Red Sox packing.
Schlittler, a rookie who made 14 starts for New York after his July debut, faced off against Boston's own young gun, Connelly Early. The 23-year-old Early, Boston's No. 6 prospect out of Vanderbilt—where he honed his craft as a college standout—made his first postseason start. But it unraveled quickly. Early, barely old enough to buy a beer in some states, lasted just four innings, surrendering three runs on five hits. His fastball topped out in the mid-90s, yet the Yankees' bats, led by timely hits from the lineup including Masataka Yoshida's quiet night at the plate, capitalized without mercy.
Indeed, the Red Sox offense, featuring rising star Roman Anthony in right field and the steady Yoshida, mustered little against Schlittler's mix of heat and deception. Anthony, Boston's top prospect called up late in the season, went hitless in three at-bats, a frustrating end to a promising debut year. Yoshida, the Japanese import who's been a lineup staple, struck out twice, his .289 average from the regular season meaning nothing in this do-or-die scenario. Even mentions of old legends like Babe Ruth couldn't rally the crowd; the Bronx faithful drowned out any Boston echoes.
However, the real sting came from Schlittler's roots. A Walpole High product who fell for baseball watching Red Sox games, he later starred at Northeastern before the Yankees drafted him in the fifth round of 2023. Now, after silencing Boston's stars—Abreu in the lineup struggled too—he's a Yankee hero, though Red Sox fans might call it betrayal. Early's youth, at just 22 when the season began, highlighted Boston's rebuild, but it wasn't enough against Schlittler's command.
Moreover, this loss caps a wild ride for the Red Sox, who snuck into the playoffs on fumes. Schlittler's stats—12 K's, zero walks—stand as a benchmark for rookies in October. As the Yankees gear up for deeper runs, one wonders if Boston's pitching pipeline, with talents like Early, can rebound from such a harsh lesson.