Yankees' Cam Schlittler reacts to winning AL Cy Young Award

Dominance is the best way to describe Cam Schlittler’s first full season in the big leagues.  

The New York Yankees right-hander led American League pitchers in bWAR (7.0), ERA (1.95) and adjusted ERA+ (215). In his 33 starts, Schlittler held opponents scoreless eight times. 

That explains why he unanimously won the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday night. Schlittler received all 30 first-place votes and 210 points from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, while Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease finished second with 110 points. Cleveland Guardians Parker Messick finished third with 84 points.

What Cy Young win means to Cam Schlittler

“I’m just happy to make all my starts. I was able to stay healthy and be consistent throughout the season,” Schlittler said in a conference call. "The individual stats are good. Obviously, you prefer to go out there and put your team in a position to win. I didn’t always do that, when you come up short of the end goal of winning a championship.”          

Schlittler, 25, became the seventh member of the Yankees to win the top pitching prize. Teammate Gerrit Cole was the last to win the award in 2023. 

Schlittler was home in Walpole, Massachusetts, when he heard the great news from baseball legend Roger Clemens on the MLB Network. Schlittler was pleased to have his family, including his parents, John and Christine, by his side. 

"It’s good to get to this moment and enjoy it with my family. It’s a special night for everyone," Schlittler said. "It’s a special moment being a Yankee to have Roger present that award. … It was a special moment for this organization. … I had a few conversations with Roger. I would like to have more in the future."

Schlittler’s ERA is the lowest by a Yankee starter since Ron Guidry had a 1.74 ERA in 1978. Let’s not forget that Schlittler had a lot of swings and misses, striking out 239 batters in 193 ⅔ innings. He has five pitches in his arsenal, but his four-seam fastball is his money pitch. In fact, opponents went 47-for-289 (.163) against the pitch.

"Cam had as dominant a season as a starting pitcher can have from start to finish. He’s shown an astonishing amount of growth since we drafted him, and his success is no accident,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a statement. “Cam has a tireless appetite for hard work and refinement that has allowed his talents to truly flourish. This Cy Young is richly deserved. Cam was the most dominant pitcher in our league and continues to grow into a foundational player for this franchise."

It seems hard to believe that Schlittler entered the big leagues on July 9, 2025. By the end of this year, he is one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues.   

"It’s been a long journey since I was called up from Double-A," he said. "Obviously, I always had a lot of confidence in myself. That’s how it got to this point. Realistically, when you come into your first full season, you think, yeah, you are going to do that or maybe not. But you also have the confidence to do it. … I’m glad to live up to those expectations.” 

Don’t expect Schlittler to rest on what he accomplished in 2026.  He wants to win a World Series title.  

"I've given multiple answers about how I could have improved. I could have had a better season. Obviously, I’ve had a few hiccups along the way,” he said. "Realistically, there are things I could get better at. That’s not going to be specifically one area in the game. … I want to be out there on the mound making adjustments. I feel like the season was great. I didn’t like the way it finished. Things definitely could have been better."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.