The Yankees Are Overthinking Their Game 1 Starter for the AL Wild Card Series

The New York Yankees are still weighing their options on who should start Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series next week.

Despite having the likely AL Cy Young Award recipient, Cam Schlittler, manager Aaron Boone hasn't committed to outright selecting him to pitch against the Boston Red Sox next Tuesday. The Yankee skipper reasoned that whoever starts in the first two games of the Wild Card Series would also be available to make two starts (likely Games 2 and 5) in the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays (assuming the Yankees win the series over the Red Sox), per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Is Cam Schlittler starting Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series? Aaron Boone: “We’ll see. Not necessarily.”

Why not?

“Whoever goes 1 or 2 doesn't affect the next series. So whoever goes 1 or 2 can pitch 2 and 5 in the next series, for example. So we'll decide what kind of makes…
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 23, 2026

Pitching coach Matt Blake provided further clarity to Boone's comments, stating that there are "three or four different iterations" for lining up the starting rotation in the Wild Card Series, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

Rest days may also factor into their decision, as Schlittler would be on his fifth day of rest after starting on Thursday; Gerrit Cole would be on six days, while both Max Fried and Carlos Rodon would have seven days of rest. Blake went as far as to say that Fried was "in heavy consideration" to start Game 1, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Although this is a good problem to have, especially with the incredible talent in the rotation, the Yankees are thinking too hard about this decision.

Cam Schlittler is the Yankees' best option for Game 1

Maybe the team isn't trying to tip its hand and is making sure Boston can't prepare ahead of time to face him, but it's beyond obvious that the Yankees will decide on Schlittler to start Game 1 in the end.

The 25-year-old righty is about to conclude one of the best pitching seasons in Yankees history. Heading into his final start, Schlittler led the American League with a 1.94 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, while ranking second in innings pitched (190.2) and opposing batting average (.182). His 234 strikeouts are the fourth-most in the majors.

All 10 strikeouts from Cam Schlittler tonight! pic.twitter.com/i6bGvKD21K
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 9, 2026

As opposed to Cole, Fried, and Rodon, all of whom missed time due to injury and had a few blips on the radar, Schlittler has been consistently dominant all season long. And while Rodon has been fantastic over the course of the month, Schlittler has shown no signs of slowing down, allowing only five earned runs over his last seven starts.

In the postseason, the general rule is to ride the hot hand, but the ace always starts the very first game. Schlittler is both the Yankees' ace and the hot hand; contrary to Boone's comments about ensuring two starts in the ALDS, starting Schlittler in Game 1 guarantees he will have enough rest to do so, including a winner-take-all Game 5.

The icing on the cake is Schlittler's utter dominance against his hometown team. Including Game 3 of the Wild Card Series last year, the Red Sox have scored a grand total of two earned runs against the 25-year-old in 32.1 innings; although they scored four runs off him on June 26, all of those runs were unearned due to a costly error by Amed Rosario.

All 12 Cam Schlittler strikeouts! pic.twitter.com/Ggi5njqbCf
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 3, 2025

To put it simply, all roads lead to Schlittler. Even with the Yankees' mental gymnastics, their best path towards making a deep playoff run involves giving their ace the ball next Tuesday.

*stats last updated before Thursday's game against Tampa Bay

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