MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Cam Schlittler put the finishing touches on his Cy Young season Thursday night against the Rays. It wasn’t his sharpest start, Schlittler needing 70 pitches to navigate three innings, but it put his ERA on the season at 1.95, the lowest mark by a Yankee starter since Ron Guidry posted a 1.74 ERA in his legendary 1978 season, and the third-lowest ERA in franchise history. It’s also the lowest ERA by an American League starer since Justin Verlander’s 1.75 ERA in 2022, which won the future Hall of Famer* his third Cy Young.
*Incidentally, Verlander is making his final career start today in Detroit.
New York Post | Dan Martin: Speaking of Schlittler, you’d expect a pitcher of his stature to be a shoe-in for Game 1 of a playoff series. However, the Yankees are considering saving him for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. Max Fried could start Game 1, on extra rest, and thus also give Schlittler an extra day of rest before the Yankees embark on what they hope will be a long postseason run. Schlittler would have enough rest to start Games 2 and 5 of a potential ALDS regardless of whether he pitches Game 1 or 2 of the Wild Card Series. Is it possible the Yankees are overthinking it? Yes, admits pitching coach Matt Blake, but these are precisely the things the club’s staff is paid to overthink.
Whichever way the Yankees line things up, the good news is that their excellent rotation means that they’ll have an ace-caliber talent going every night. As an aside, Andrés wrote up this debate for earlier in the week, and that’s worth a read if you haven’t checked it out yet.
The Athletic | Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand: Drellich and Marchand report on the looming lockout, and one mark to look out for next year: 60 games. Apparently, if MLB misses 60 or more games in the 2027 season, the league’s national broadcast contracts would extend an extra year, into 2029. That introduces an interesting wrinkle into the owners’ calculus when it comes to this round of labor negotiations. On the one hand, the league would still receive their negotiated dues as part of their deals with their broadcast partners. On the other, extending those deals another year means the league can’t negotiate new national deals for another year; the league is likely seeking to earn a hefty raise on their next round of national contracts. The league also wouldn’t get paid in 2029 under this scenario.
SNY | John Flanigan: Ryan Weathers threw a live bullpen session yesterday, facing hitters including Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham. Aaron Boone said Weathers was up to 96 mph on his fastball, though called his control a little “scattered.” According to Boone, Weathers is on track to be an option during the playoffs, but it’s unclear if the Yankees will put the left-hander on the Wild Card roster. Carlos Lagrange also threw to hitters at Yankee Stadium yesterday, though it’s unlikely he’ll be on the playoff roster soon. Boone said he isn’t in play for the Wild Card roster and Matt Blake threw cold water on the idea of him debuting in the playoffs, though it still remains a (remote) possibility that Lagrange could factor into the Yankees’ plans later in the postseason if the team advances and Lagrange’s rehab continues to go well.
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