Red Sox Skipper Delivers Blunt Message On Yankees' Cam Schlittler

Schlittler was amazing. The Red Sox were dormant.

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) follows through on a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

What a night it was in the Bronx for New York Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler.

The 24-year-old Walpole, Mass. native, who grew up cheering on the Red Sox in high-pressure battles against the Yankees, completely shut down his hometown team. In eight scoreless innings, he struck out 12 batters, allowed only five hits, and generally had the Boston batters looking like deer in the headlights.

It hurts to see a season come to its end, and there's no one the Red Sox hate losing to more than the Yankees. But even amid the pain, it was obligatory to give a tip of the cap to Schlittler for his phenomenal outing.

Alex Cora on Schlittler's incredible night

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) walks in from the bullpen prior to game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After the 4-0 loss eliminated his team from postseason contention, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made sure to give Schlittler his well-deserved praise.

"We needed to be perfect tonight, because he was perfect," Cora said, via NESN. "The stuff is outstanding. He was under control. That was electric. That was electric."

According to Mike Monaco of WEEI, Schlittler became the first pitcher in postseason history to throw eight or more scoreless innings, strike out 12 or more batters, and walk no one in a single game.

Schlittler had a meteoric rise through the Yankees' system this season, and he wouldn't have likely made an impact on the rotation had Clarke Schmidt not succumbed to Tommy John surgery. And as excellent as he was once he arrived at the major league level, Thursday night was a different level of dominance.

Of course, it helps to be facing a Red Sox lineup full of weak at-bats. Jarren Duran disappeared in October. Ceddanne Rafaela's cold second half continued. Wilyer Abreu never really came back from the injured list. Virtually everyone not named Masataka Yoshida was an offensive zero on Thursday night.

But it takes a great pitcher to shut down even the most feeble of offenses in a win-or-go-home playoff situation. Schlittler showed the Red Sox what a championship performance looks like, and they likely realized they're still a ways away from reaching that standard.

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