Cam Schlittler's Historic Start to Season Hasn't Been Seen in 113 Years

So far in 2026, New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler is putting up numbers that no other pitcher has produced at the start of a season since the early 1900s.

Schlittler tossed six scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, lowering his already remarkable ERA even further. Through nine starts this year, the 25-year-old now has a 1.35 ERA with 59 strikeouts, just nine walks, and only one home run allowed on the season. And according to OptaSTATS on X, formerly known as Twitter, no other MLB pitcher has posted numbers like that in over 100 years.

"Cam Schlittler of the Yankees is the first MLB pitcher to have 50+ strikeouts, fewer than 10 walks, no more than 1 HR allowed, [and] a sub-1.50 ERA over his first 9 starts of a season since Walter Johnson in 1913," OptaSTATS' post reads. There's obviously still a lot of baseball left to be played this year, but it's undoubtedly impressive for the hard-throwing righty to be in the same conversation as a Hall of Famer. And based on how he's been pitching so far this season, Schlittler is already viewed as an early-season candidate for the American League Cy Young Award.

One short-term situation worth monitoring with Cam Schlittler

Apr 17, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) talks with catcher Austin Wells (28) during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While Schlittler ended up turning in another scoreless outing on Saturday, there's one element of his start against the Brewers that Yankees fans will be keeping a close eye on. The 6-foot-6 righty was drilled in the calf by a 108.5 mph line drive in the first inning. He obviously remained in the game and finished his outing, but New York manager Aaron Boone said he's "pretty sore today," according to the New York Post's Greg Joyce.

"Hopes it does not linger too much in the coming days as he works with trainers to get the swelling out of his calf," Joyce said. "Had a sizable welt and an imprint of the ball there last night." Even though it doesn't sound like this is a long-term situation, it's unclear at this time if the Yankees would consider pushing Schlittler's next start back a couple of days to give him extra rest and time to recover.

Either way, based on how Schlittler has thrown the ball so far this year, the young flamethrower has established himself as must-watch TV every time he takes the mound.

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