The Yankees are turning to Cam Schlittler, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander, to climb the hill in Game 3 of the Wild Card series as they look to advance past the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night in The Bronx.
“He’ll handle it well,” manager Aaron Boone said about Schlittler ahead of Game 2. “I don't think it will be too big for him, and he will be ready to roll.”
Schlittler, a Massachusetts native, said he knew from public reports before Boone had the chance to tell him he’d be the starter, but that the way the last few days were setting up, he was expecting the nod.
“It’s important for them to put faith in me,” he said before the Yanks’ 4-3 win on Wednesday to keep their season alive. “I’m just making sure I’m taking this as another game, going to do my job.”
After making his big league debut just before the All-Star break, Schlittler posted a 2.96 ERA (3.74 FIP) and 1.219 WHIP in 73 innings over 14 starts with 84 strikeouts to 31 walks.
The skipper called the right-hander “super coachable, accountable” and, after his call-up, gave the club a “shot in the arm when he became another stabilizing force in our rotation."
“Like how he has handled every situation he has found himself in this year," Boone said, “Starting with coming over and pitching a big spring training game for us late in spring, and, I thought, handled it and navigated it.
“And man, you saw the right competitive edge to him."
He saved his best outing for his last, allowing just two hits, two hit batters, and a walk over seven shutout innings against Baltimore while striking out nine on the regular season’s penultimate day.
“Been super impressed with, first and foremost, his stuff,” Boone said. “I mean, he's got… big stuff. It’s a big fastball. The cutter and this curveball are really good pitches for him. Really good competitor.”
Boston is countering with a rookie of their own in left-hander ConnellyEarly, the 23-year-old who pitched to a 2.33 ERA in just 19.1 innings over four starts since making his MLB debut on Sept. 9.
The heater, with a 98 mph average velocity, puts him in the 95th percentile in the majors. And that pitch, which he's using 54.8 percent of the time, has helped him tally a 27.6 strikeout rate (82nd percentile).
The right-handed will face a different lineup after the Yanks started back-to-back lefties, but Schlittler still believes there was something to gain from watching Boston’s hitters these past two games.
“It’s more of the mentality and the mental side of the game, as well,” Schlittler said. “Being able to listen in to what they’re doing and the adjustments they’re making is gonna make things a little bit easier for me.
“And it’s all learning points, so for me to experience playoff baseball for two days before I get throwing is definitely a good experience.”
While one game a career does not make, Boone was asked if Schlittler’s debut season has made it seem like the Yanks have a rotation piece for years to come? “It does feel that way.”
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