The New York Yankees are set to face the Boston Red Sox in a critical four-game series this weekend, a matchup that holds significant weight for both teams' playoff aspirations. For Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler, however, every game against the Red Sox is personally significant.
Schlittler, considered an American League Cy Young Award favorite, grew up approximately 30 miles from Fenway Park and has become a contentious figure for Red Sox fans following his standout performance against them in last season's AL wild-card series. The animosity escalated last year with fans directing death threats and online harassment towards Schlittler and his family leading up to the postseason clash.
“It’s never stopped,” Schlittler said Thursday, referring to the continued online harassment from Red Sox fans. “Whether it’s comments on my posts or my messages or Twitter or whatever it is, or messaging people in my family, it’s always been there. I don’t expect it to stop. I feel like I probably created that issue. I could have easily just thrown last year and not said anything, but it didn’t feel right to not say anything.”
The upcoming series in The Bronx is pivotal for playoff positioning, with the Red Sox currently trailing the Yankees by 2 ½ games in the AL wild-card standings. This contrasts sharply with their previous meeting in June, where Boston was 15 ½ games back. Since then, the Red Sox have surged, becoming one of baseball's hottest teams with multiple extended winning streaks.
Schlittler's start on Friday to open the series was strategically adjusted. Following an injury to pitcher Ryan Weathers, who landed on the 15-day injured list with a low-grade left forearm flexor strain, the Yankees realigned their pitching rotation to have Schlittler face the Red Sox. Schlittler expressed his willingness to take the mound for this series.
“I was prepared to throw [Thursday against Houston]. Obviously, I pushed that back,” he said. “There’s some decisions to be made. I think the way it pans out over the weekend, we’re in a good spot. I think it was better for Elmer [Rodríguez] to throw [Wednesday], and he obviously pitched very well, so he put us in a good spot. That’s really all you can ask for out of a rookie. I think it lines up.
“We got our guys going against Boston, and it’s an important series. I was fine with it. I think I was going to have a seven-day [gap between starts] no matter what after the Cali trip, anyway, so I guess it’s good to just get that out of the way.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the Red Sox's strength during their last series in Boston, where the Yankees were outscored 21-9 over four games. The Yankees are banking on Schlittler, their emerging star pitcher, to help contain the surging Red Sox.
While Schlittler downplayed the lingering impact of his last outing against his hometown team, where he allowed four unearned runs in a loss, he admitted to a natural competitive advantage when facing Boston. "I think it’s just easier [to have that competitive spirit]. Just being from there and the way the fans treated me last year and then into this year, I feel like it’s just easier to get going a little bit,” Schlittler said. “I still respect all the guys over there and everything, but I feel like just being from there makes it easier to kind of be a little more competitive. I don’t really have to search for it as much. It’s just kind of right there in front of me.”