Yankees have unique way of motivating, angering Cam Schlittler

Shortly after New York Yankees starter Cam Schlittler tallied eight strikeouts over eight innings of work in a 5-1 win at the Tampa Bay Rays back on July 6, he admitted that he took it personally that some said there was "regression because I had one bad outing."

It turns out Schlittler had a little bit of help finding such takes. 

Why Cam Schlittler pitched angry against the Rays

For a piece published on Thursday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic shared how Yankees director of organizational performance Chad Bohling "plays videos for Schlittler before every start." One of those videos featured "Baseball is Dead" host Jared Carrabis saying that Schlittler's "regression is happening before our very eyes" ahead of the Yankees-Rays game. 

"It definitely p— me off," Schlittler told Kirschner about that clip. "It was pretty easy to go out there and perform just based on the last outing, how we’ve been playing, and then the cherry on top there."

Carrabis made those comments after Schlittler allowed six runs in four innings during a 9-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on June 30. Schlittler later entered the MLB All-Star break holding a 9-5 record for the season. He began Thursday leading the American League with a 2.05 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and a 4.1 pitching wins above replacement. 

"We’ve seen a lot of guys come here and try to play, and they can’t do it," Schlittler said about being an advertised ace for a New York MLB team. "That’s why they leave. They may have had successful careers. It’s my first full year, though. I could be saying all this, and in a few years, it might not work out. I’m confident it will. I feel like I handle that stuff well. There’s added pressure, but I welcome that. I think we need to be held to a high standard." 

Why Cam Schlittler isn't afraid to respond to certain takes

Shortly after it was learned that Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays was named the AL’s All-Star Game starting pitcher, Schlittler confirmed that he wouldn't pitch in the contest because he and the Yankees have "bigger aspirations for the season." The 54-42 Yankees would be a playoff team if the postseason started on July 16, but New York trails the first-place Rays (56-38) in the AL East standings. 

"This year, I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of ignoring people online, but I’ve also been able to back it up, too," Schlittler added. "If I want to say something, I can, because I’ve backed it up."

If Schlittler keeps backing it up with his performances, he could be part of what becomes a deep playoff run for the Yankees.