New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Cam Schlittler deals another gem as Yankees rotation looks even stronger

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 8:52 PM ET

The New York Yankees may have found another star in second-year starting pitcher Cam Schlittler.

Schlittler — who entered Wednesday tied for first in the majors in ERA (0.00) and for 21st in strikeouts (15) and ranked third in WHIP (0.26) — is off to a hot start. The 25-year-old pitcher kept dealing in a road game against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.

Cam Schlittler pitched a gem against the Mariners

Schlittler (2-0) pitched 6 1/3 innings against Seattle, allowing just two hits and striking out seven batters on 79 pitches (58 of which were strikes). The right-handed pitcher has now retired 16 straight batters, continuing his scoreless start to the season.

The Yankees won 5-3 thanks to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt launching a three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning and designated hitter Ben Rice hitting an RBI double in the first and a solo moonshot in the ninth.

Cam Schlittler is the latest @Yankees pitcher to toss a gem pic.twitter.com/FA32lwEAtN
— MLB (@MLB) April 1, 2026

The Yankees have improved to 5-1 following the win over Seattle (3-4). And as long as their starting pitching rotation stays hot, New York should keep rolling.

Yankees rotation is on fire to start the season

Fellow Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (2-0) is also rocking. Entering Wednesday, he was tied for first in the majors in ERA (0.00), tied for ninth in strikeouts (10) and ranked 10th in WHIP (0.53).

The one-two punch of Fried and Schlittler has the Yankees rotation off to a historic start.

"Yankees starters have still only given up just two runs over their first six games (spanning 33 2/3 innings), marking the fewest by any team's starting rotation through their first six games of a season (since 1990)," wrote Greg Joyce of the New York Post on Wednesday.

And even more bad news for the rest of the American League is that Yankees right-handed ace Gerrit Cole hasn't returned yet. The Yankees have placed the pitcher — who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025 — on the 15-day injured list, suggesting he could return sooner than expected.

When 2023 AL Cy Young winner Cole returns to the lineup, that could give the Yankees rotation a three-headed monster.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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