New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) spits during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium, Aug 13, 2025, Bronx, New York, USA. Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yankees Rising Star Reveals Early Thoughts on Breakout Pitcher

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 7:00 AM ET

New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler gave another stunning performance over six innings against the Washington Nationals, and his teammates were singing his praises after the game.

Yankees catcher Ben Rice, a contemporary of Schlittler (they are 26 and 24, respectively, with Rice in his sophomore season) shared that he is impressed with the Yankees' newest ace, but that Schlittler hasn't always been this powerful.

In a postgame interview, a reporter asked Rice what makes it possible for him and Schlittler to work so well together.

"Just good chemistry overall," Rice said. "Last time I caught him I thought we were on the same page a lot so it was no different coming into tonight."

When asked what he thought of Schlittler's outing and his performance for the team so far, Rice complimented his "blue collar attitude", which prompted a follow-up about his growth over time. Rice disclosed that the Schlittler we see today is a relatively recent development, and praised him for the work it took to get there.

"He's just tough, I mean he's a competitor, he's out there looking to grind through at-bats, [...] he's just going out there and has this great mentality to fight through everything and just attack guys and be aggressive," Rice said.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

"The interesting thing about him is that he wasn't always this kind of guy. He was, I mean I remember the year he got drafted, the first year of professional baseball he was in he started in extended spring training, he was not a velocity guy by any means. But to his credit he put in the work, he put his head down, put on weight, put on muscle, and really made himself into a really good pitcher."

"Obviously added velocity, but you know, he was able to work on his command as well and we're seeing it translate at this level."

Schlittler was called up from Triple-A in July when Clarke Schmidt was placed on the IL with his season-ending injury. Since, Schlittler has started eight games and owns a 2.76 ERA with a 2-2 record. In a recent outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, Schlittler flirted with a perfect game, managing six hitless innings before giving one up and departing in the seventh.

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