ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Facing a 1-0 deficit in their best-of-five American League Division Series, the New York Yankees are looking to ace pitcher Cam Schlittler to even the series in Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Schlittler, who previously expressed a preference for pitching in front of booing crowds, has a remarkable track record in hostile road environments. "I prefer to be booed," Schlittler said earlier this season. "It’s fun. It gets more intense. … I feed off of that."
His performance metrics underscore this ability. Since 1913, no pitcher has begun their career with superior statistics while pitching away from home. Schlittler’s 1.52 ERA in his first 23 career road starts is the lowest among all major league pitchers in the last 113 years. This season, he was even more effective on the road, posting an 8-2 record with a 1.16 ERA in 17 starts, marking the fifth-lowest single-season road ERA since 1913. His ERA in that span is in the company of legends like Bob Gibson, Walter Johnson, and Greg Maddux.
"I don’t know why the splits are the way they were," Schlittler stated Saturday, before the Yankees lost Game 1, 1-0, at Tropicana Field. "But at the same time, I feel like I pitched really good at home in the back end. On the road, I feel like, again, going into an away crowd and silencing that is a great feeling."
Schlittler’s confidence is further bolstered by his ability to handle the Rays’ contact-heavy lineup, which proved difficult to strike out in Game 1. The Rays struck out at the lowest rate in baseball during the regular season (18.8 percent). Schlittler, who recorded the third-most strikeouts in the league with a 31.4 percent rate, is prepared for the challenge. "I’m still confident in my strikeout stuff," Schlittler said, noting his 2.81 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings against Tampa Bay this year. "I feel like if I need to get one, I’m going to be able to do that. … But I’m always willing to sacrifice strikeouts for weak-contact, quick outs."
This October presents parallels to the previous year for Schlittler, who excelled against the Boston Red Sox before facing contact-oriented AL East opponents where his effectiveness slightly diminished. Last year, after a strong performance against the Red Sox, he was solid but not dominant against the Toronto Blue Jays. He threw a career-high 117 pitches in his Game 1 victory against Boston last year, a factor that could influence his workload.
"Last year hasn’t really crossed my mind," Schlittler said when asked about the previous postseason loss to Toronto. "I’m confident in what we’ve done as a team this year, and I’m going to make sure I take that into Monday."
Despite a solid effort from Gerrit Cole and the Yankees bullpen in Game 1, the offense failed to produce runs. Manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence in his ace, stating, "We’re obviously always thrilled when we hand the ball to Cam, and hopefully we can go out and put some points on the board, though, to support him."