With the Yankees and Red Sox locked into a Wild Card matchup, New York’s handling of Cam Schlittler drew attention fast - and not because it looked especially sharp.
Boston had already lined up its rotation with the best-of-three series in mind. The Yankees, at least initially, did not appear to be thinking with the same urgency.
That changed on September 27, when New York announced Schlittler as its Game 1 starter and Max Fried for Game 2. Anything else would have invited trouble.
The delay fit the tone of Aaron Boone’s recent comments, which sounded less like a manager focused on the first round and more like one already mapping out the next one. Asked whether Schlittler would start Game 1 of the Wild Card round, Boone replied: “We’ll see. Not necessarily.”
He then explained his thinking this way: “Whoever goes 1 or 2 doesn't affect the next series. So whoever goes 1 or 2 can pitch 2 and 5 in the next series, for example. So we'll decide what kind of makes…
That line made clear Boone was talking about the Divisional round before the Wild Card had even begun. For Red Sox fans, it was the kind of comment that feels like a shortcut to trouble.
Boston went 6-7 against New York this season, and each club took one series by sweep. Both teams also enter October short of full strength, which only makes the Yankees’ early look-ahead feel more out of place.
The Wild Card format itself should be warning enough. Since the format changed in 2022, the team that won Game 1 has lost the series only once, and that came when the Red Sox did it last year. Small sample or not, that’s the sort of edge that belongs on every manager’s radar.
Boston, for its part, has stayed pointed at the matchup in front of it. Manager Chad Tracy said after Friday’s doubleheader that the hope is for home playoff games, which would mean the Red Sox beat the Yankees.
But he was careful with the language. Hope is not the same thing as assumption, and Tracy has kept his club on the task directly ahead.
Boone, meanwhile, seems to be operating with a little more confidence than caution. In a rivalry that still carries weight even if it doesn’t burn the way it once did, that can be a dangerous way to approach October.
For the Red Sox, the message is simple: use it. And use Schlittler as the target in Game 1.
In Other News...
Cam Schlittler Just Made Yankees-Red Sox Game 1 Even More Heated
The playoff stage at Yankee Stadium was already going to bring plenty of edge, but Cam Schlittler has helped turn the opener into something even more combustible. The Yankees starter has been trading public jabs with Red Sox fans online, leaning into the noise instead of ducking it, and that has only sharpened the atmosphere around a rivalry that hardly needed extra fuel.
For Boston, the matchup matters because it is not just another October game, it is the first look at a series that now comes with a little more bite. Schlittler is set to be one of the key figures in the spotlight, and his duel with Red Sox starter Payton Tolle adds another layer to a night already heavy with history, tension and the kind of crowd energy that can tilt a series before it really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Rookie Suddenly Enters Yankees Wild Card Pitching Debate
The Red Sox have lined up their Wild Card Series rotation against the Yankees, with Payton Tolle set for Game 1, Sonny Gray for Game 2 and Ranger Surez available for a decisive Game 3 if it comes to that. But one of the more interesting developments came Friday, when rookie Jake Bennett worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, giving Boston another arm to think about as the games get tighter and every bullpen choice starts to matter.
Manager Chad Tracy still has a few pitching calls to make depending on how the series unfolds, and Bennetts outing only adds to the conversation. For a Red Sox staff that already has its starters mapped out, the bigger question may be how much trust Bennett has earned for October leverage, and whether his unexpected late-season push can turn into a real postseason role against their biggest rival. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans Already Have One Wild Card Booth Complaint
Major League Baseball has set the broadcast crew for the Red Sox-Yankees Wild Card round, and the lineup already gives Boston fans something to talk about before a pitch is thrown. The games will air on NBC with Jason Benetti handling play-by-play, Lou Merloni in the Red Sox analyst chair, and Caroline Pineda working as sideline reporter.
What has drawn the sharpest reaction, at least early, is the rest of the booth makeup, which includes former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and former Yankees player Anthony Rizzo on the analyst side for New York. In a postseason series loaded with history and tension, the broadcast itself now has a familiar Yankees tint that Red Sox fans are bound to notice all week long. [Read more 🡒]