Red Sox Finally Strike Back At Cam Schlittler After Months of Losing

The ERA went down, but an L is an L

Jun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) looks on as Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) hits a two run home run in the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Cam Schlittler was quickly becoming the Boston Red Sox's chief tormentor, so Thursday night was a much-needed role reversal.

Granted, none of the runs the Red Sox scored against the New York Yankees' rising star were earned. But with a four-run bottom of the fifth inning that was punctuated by another impressive swing of the bat by Caleb Durbin, they did enough to hand Schlittler, the prohibitive American League Cy Young Award favorite, his fourth loss of the year.

How did they do it? Well, it may have all been a matter of fortunate timing, because the offense looked pretty hapless through four innings. Hapless is usually the operative word when this team faces Schlittler, though, so any sign of progress is welcome.

Red Sox's one great inning doesn't erase past torment from Schlitter

Jun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) reacts after ending the fourth inning with back to back strike outs against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

One could make the argument that all four runs should have been earned instead of unearned, because the only error that led to all those Red Sox runs was a 113-mph smash from Willson Contreras that went through the legs of third baseman Amed Rosario before he even had time to think.

But Schlittler had pitched three previous times against the Red Sox, and in all three games, the Yankees emerged victorious. Schlittler went eight innings twice against this team in the past, so knocking him out after five had to feel good as well. Mostly, posting an L on his ledger after that string of W's had to feel good.

Granted, nothing in the regular season can undo what Schlittler did to the Red Sox in last year's playoffs. And one can argue that the American League Division Series was the last time there was any positive momentum around this Red Sox team on the field, which makes that loss all the more painful.

Schlittler and the Red Sox fan base probably won't ever have a great relationship -- forged in part by the fact that he once numbered among them. And Schlittler had a lot of material with which to dunk on Sox fans in the past.

While the Sox remain in last place with little hope for the rest of the season, perhaps a few of those tortured fans sported smiles by the end of Thursday's game.