Cam Schlittler may have the American League Cy Young locked up, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be toeing the slab in the first game of the Yankees’ upcoming Wild Card series.
On Wednesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone dropped a few surprising tidbits, including that ailing sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham might be back in pinstripes soon, and that the Yankees are considering adding top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange to the postseason roster despite Lagrange not having made his debut yet.
Still, the most surprising part of Boone’s pregame press conference might have been his response to the question of which Yankees starter would start Game 1 of the American League Wild Card on Tuesday night.
“We’ll see. Not necessarily,” Boone said about Schlittler, noting that much of his decision around Schlittler’s first start will depend on how they feel about a potential ALDS pitching order.
Cam Schlittler’s Cy Young Caliber Season
Not only does it look Schlittler’s first full professional season will culminate in an American League Cy Young award, but it’s nothing short of historic. Earlier in the year, Schlittler posted a 1.14 ERA in his first 16 road starts of the season, which broke the all-time American League record. With a solid start against the Rays Thursday night, Schlittler would finish his season with a sub-2 ERA, and become the first Yankee to do so since Ron Guidry in his 1978 Cy Young season.
If the Yankees match up against the Red Sox next week, which seems more than likely, Schlittler will get another chance to draw ire from his childhood team after ending their season as a rookie in Game 3 of last year’s Wild Card.
Schlittler also has some history of his own that he can chase, with a little help from the rest of the team. He enters Thursday’s start with 22 straight road starts in which he has recorded more strikeouts than hits allowed, a streak that continued with his six strikeouts to three hits against the Diamondbacks. Only Randy Johnson has had more consecutive starts, doing so in 23 straight road appearances between 1999 and 2000.
Schlittler wouldn’t get another opportunity to do so unless he starts at Tropicana Field in a potential ALDS game with the Yankees. Being put in a group that includes Randy Johnson would be the icing on the cake to an elite first full campaign.
Aaron Boone’s Cam Schlittler Decision
Yankees manager Aaron Boone will have his hands full deciding which order to send out his four top starters next week, as one wrong move could be what ends the Yankees’ season far short of their ultimate goal.
Max Fried and Schlittler will likely be the two choices for Game 1, and Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodon would be the choices for an if-necessary Game 3 to decide the season. But for Boone, and all Yankee fans at home, the hope is that they won’t need to go there.
With a strong start from Fried or Schlittler, and a bullpen that looks even more formidable with a potential new, young back-end reliever in Lagrange, the Yankees could be well-positioned for a Wild Card triumph after Tuesday night.
Aaron Boone Drops Surprising Cam Schlittler Revelation Ahead of Yankees’ Wild Card Series