Cam Schlittler is heading into Friday night with the Red Sox still living in his mentions.
The Yankees’ ace, a Massachusetts native who grew up rooting for Boston, has become one of the most visible villains in Red Sox country after last year’s playoff dominance and his public response to the wave of hate comments that followed. Now 25, Schlittler has spent this season as New York’s clear top starter and has worked his way into a two-man Cy Young race with Toronto Blue Jays star Dylan Cease.
That backdrop made the buildup to the series opener feel pretty predictable. Schlittler was set to start a crucial game between the Yankees and Red Sox, and with Boston fans already giving him plenty of heat, he had more to say about the relationship on Thursday.
“It’s never stopped,” Schlitter said Thursday, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “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.
It hasn’t stopped at all. 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 comments from Schlittler come after the Red Sox cut the Yankees’ division lead from 15 1/2 games two months ago to just two, turning Friday’s game into a big one in the standings. The Boston crowd, as expected, has kept the pressure on him, and the situation has clearly gone beyond ordinary trash talk with family members getting dragged into it.
That said, there’s also a certain risk every time Schlittler keeps talking about it. He spent October trolling Red Sox fans on social media, which only opened the door for more of the same ugly response from the other side.
Now the baseball has to take over. Friday night could help shape which team gets home field for a three-game playoff series between the Yankees and Red Sox next month, and Schlittler will find out whether he can block out the noise - or turn it into fuel against the team and fan base that have been on him all season.
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Since the trade, Rutschman has struggled badly at the plate, hitting .133 in 45 at-bats and posting a weak overall line that has only sharpened the scrutiny on the deal. The glove still gives Boston something to point to, but with the bat not following and the prospect package already out the door, this is the kind of gamble Yankees fans can enjoy watching from a distance. [Read more 🡒]