Cam Schlittler’s October has already reached the kind of level that makes teammates, opponents and even other New York stars stop and stare.
The Yankees right-hander added another emphatic chapter on Sept. 29 at Yankee Stadium, carving through Boston for 6 1/3 scoreless innings in New York’s 9-0 win in the Wild Card Series opener. He gave up two hits and one walk, punched out 10, and threw a career-high 117 pitches to earn the victory. Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle took the loss.
The game was still hanging around early, with the Yankees leading only 2-0 going into the bottom of the seventh. Then the lineup blew it open.
Ben Rice finished 4-for-5 with two homers and six RBIs, including an eighth-inning grand slam. George Lombard Jr. chipped in three hits and scored twice.
Paul Blackburn and John Schreiber handled the final innings to complete the shutout without a save situation.
But the night belonged to Schlittler, whose rise has been fast and loud. He wrapped up the 2026 regular season 14-6 with an American League-best 1.95 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and 239 strikeouts across 193 2/3 innings in 33 starts. Through Oct. 2, his postseason line sat at a 0.87 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings.
Boston has seen the sharpest edge of it. Schlittler also struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings to eliminate the Red Sox in the 2025 Wild Card Series, and he followed that by fanning 10 more without allowing a run this time around. He became the first Yankees pitcher with multiple scoreless postseason outings of at least 10 strikeouts.
The numbers against Boston are getting absurd. Through his first six career starts against the Red Sox, including the postseason, Schlittler owns a 0.47 ERA, the lowest by any pitcher over that stretch since earned runs became official in 1913.
That run has now spilled into another corner of New York sports.
Knicks forward Josh Hart was asked about the Yankees on Thursday and delivered one of the most over-the-top compliments of the postseason. Hart started by talking about his faith before landing the joke.
“I’m very religious. I know Jesus is at God’s right hand, but I think Cam Schlittler might be at his left,” Hart said.
Hart also said he planned to attend Game 3 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium. His comment came after he had already been reacting on social media during the Yankees’ Game 2 win over Boston, when New York finished off the sweep.
The praise has a real foundation, even if Hart wrapped it in humor. Schlittler’s two career postseason starts with at least 10 strikeouts are tied for the most in Yankees history, matching Orlando Hernandez, Bob Turley, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina. He also became just the sixth pitcher in MLB postseason history to have multiple scoreless outings with at least 10 strikeouts, joining Justin Verlander, Sandy Koufax, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson and Cliff Lee.
A year ago, Schlittler was still a rookie with 14 major league starts when he entered the postseason picture. By October 2026, Aaron Boone trusted him enough to hand him Game 1 against Boston ahead of a rotation that also includes Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon.
Now the Yankees move on with that rotation still looking deep. As of Oct.
2, Cole was lined up to start ALDS Game 1 at Tampa Bay, with Schlittler set for Game 2 on Oct. 5.
Fried and Rodon remained available for the games at Yankee Stadium.
The Rays offer a different kind of challenge. Schlittler made three regular-season starts against Tampa Bay in 2026 and posted a 2.86 ERA over 16 innings. The Rays went 7-6 against the Yankees in the regular season, though New York won four of the last five meetings.
Boston got the version of Schlittler that has turned October into his stage. Tampa Bay gets the next crack at him in St. Petersburg.
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