Yankees Wild Card Rotation
Yankees Name Cam Schlittler to Start Wild Card Opener Against Boston
Anonymous
The Yankees named Cam Schlittler to start Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, with Max Fried set for Game 2 and Gerrit Cole slated to start if the series reaches a deciding third game. Schlittler, 25, finished his first full major-league season 14-6 with an American League-best 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts, strengthening his AL Cy Young Award case. He went 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four starts against Boston this season and struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings against the Red Sox in last year’s playoffs. The rotation decision followed debate over starter order and rest, while Cole’s potential Game 3 assignment comes during his uneven return from Tommy John surgery.
Key Points
1
Schlittler allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his final nine starts, matching Whitey Ford’s 1963 Yankees record for the longest such streak.
2
Max Fried was scheduled to start Game 2 on seven days’ rest, but had dealt with command issues and two injured-list stints stemming from a bone bruise in his left elbow.
3
Schlittler’s fastball-heavy approach could suit him against Boston: the Red Sox ranked 25th in OPS against fastballs of at least 95 mph, while Schlittler throws four-seamers, sinkers and cutters roughly 90% of the time.
4
If New York advances to the best-of-five AL Division Series, Schlittler would be positioned to start Game 2 and, if needed, Game 5.
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