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Yankees’ Cam Schlittler Sends ‘Personal’ Message After Game 3 Win Against Red Sox

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 12:31 AM ET

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were in the same boat entering Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series on Thursday night, but rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler put himself in a different class with his performance.

The 24-year-old had the outing of his life, tossing eight shutout innings in a win-or-go-home game for both teams. He allowed just five hits and notched 12 strikeouts against no walks, throwing 107 pitches in the process.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox started fellow rookie pitcher Connelly Early, who notched three scoreless frames before coughing up four runs in the fourth. The score stayed 4-0 for the rest of the game, clinching the Yankees a spot in the AL Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

As if helping his team get to the next round wasn't enough, Schlittler had extra motivation after hearing trash-talk from Boston fans in the Yankee Stadium crowd, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Massachusetts native said beating the Red Sox was "personal for me" after the fans chirped at him.

"There was a line they crossed a little bit. I'm a competitor," he continued. "I'm gonna go out there and make sure I shut them down."

Schlittler's competitive fire helped him make MLB history, via Stathead's Katie Sharp.

"Cam Schlitter is the 1st pitcher in MLB history with 8+ IP, 12+ K, 0 R and 0 BB in any Postseason game," she reported.

Cam Schlittler said it was "personal for me" to beat the Red Sox after hearing chirping from Boston fans. "There was a line they crossed a little bit. I'm a competitor. I'm gonna go out there and make sure I shut them down."
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) October 3, 2025

Cam Schlittler Proves Big-League Worth

Schlittler has only been in MLB since July, but it's safe to say that he'll stay at the top level for a while after Thursday's outing. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder dominated when his team needed it most, and his success is a testament to the Yankees' developmental skills.

New York selected Schlittler out of Northeastern University in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft. The right-hander started in the Florida Complex League the following year before getting promoted to High-A Hudson Valley to begin 2024. He then worked his way up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by the end of the season and was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year.

Schlittler then returned to Double-A to start 2025 and was promoted to Triple-A again in June. He made five starts for the RailRiders before the Yankees called him up on July 9 to replace right-hander Clark Schmidt, who had a season-ending elbow injury.

Schlittler transitioned to the big leagues seamlessly, going 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA over 14 regular-season starts. On top of that, he now has an all-time great playoff performance under his belt, which will give him even more confidence moving forward.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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