Cam Schlittler Strengthens Case for AL Cy Young With Historic Gem

The hard-throwing righty is the only pitcher in MLB history to accomplish this rare feat

Apr 17, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) walks off the field after being relieved during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Yankees right-handed pitcher Cam Schlittler officially stands alone in the MLB record books following his latest performance.

Schlittler dazzled in his start against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. The 25-year-old tossed six shutout innings, giving up just four hits and no walks while racking up 13 strikeouts in New York's 5-0 victory over Cincinnati. And in doing so, the hard-throwing righty accomplished something that's never been done by another pitcher in big league history.

Schlittler is now the only pitcher in MLB history to produce a scoreless start with at least 12 strikeouts and no walks in both the regular season and playoffs, according to OptaSTATS on X, formerly known as Twitter. The young flamethrower completed the playoff portion of that statistic last October when he twirled eight shutout innings in his Wild Card start against the Boston Red Sox.

There have obviously been a ton of pitchers in baseball history, so the fact that Schlittler achieved something that no other hurler has done before further adds to his impressive résumé at the start of his career. And if he keeps throwing the ball the way he has so far in 2026, that résumé could end up including an American League Cy Young Award.

Cam Schlittler is seemingly leading the pack for 2026 AL Cy Young

Jun 13, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra (25) celebrates the third out with starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

As things stand, it seems like Schlittler is at the top of the list of 2026 AL Cy Young Award candidates. Following his gem on Friday, the 25-year-old has a 1.71 ERA through 16 starts this year with 109 strikeouts in 95 innings. He's currently fourth in the majors in strikeouts and second in the American League behind Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, who has 110 punchouts and is scheduled to make his next start on Sunday.

Cease is also one of Schlittler's top competitors for the AL Cy Young Award at this point in the season. The 30-year-old has a 2.71 ERA through 13 starts to go along with his 110 strikeouts in 73 innings during his first year with the Blue Jays.

Other names worth keeping an eye on in the AL Cy Young Award race right now include the Cleveland Guardians' Gavin Williams, the Texas Rangers' Jacob deGrom, and the Minnesota Twins' Joe Ryan, among others. And fans shouldn't totally rule out a possible late-season stretch of dominance from the defending back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal.

There's still plenty of baseball left to be played in 2026. But, so far, it looks like the chase for the Cy Young Award in both leagues should be extremely exciting to watch over the next few months.