In Game One of their American League Wild Card series against the eternal rival Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees got a gem of a starting pitching performance for a gem of a starting pitcher. They have come to expect that from him. Especially against the Sox.
With his two-hit, ten-strikeout scoreless performance across 6.1 innings, Cam Schlittler’s success against the Boston Red Sox so far in his young career has gotten even more ridiculous. It now extends across six starts, two seasons and two postseason appearances – in that span, the Red Sox have scored just two earned runs against the Yankees right-hander in 38.2 innings, leaving him with a career ERA of a miniscule 0.47 against New York’s principal enemy.
Included on the way are 49 strikeouts against only 10 walks, while Schlittler’s two playoff starts have been even more effective: 14.1 entirely scoreless innings, relinquishing only seven hits and one walk along 22 strikeouts. Boston has repeatedly now faced Schlittler in both the regular and postseasons, without finding a way to get the bat on the ball.
The results are a stand-out part of the broader development of Schlittler into one of the American League’s leading starters. Schlittler finished the 2026 regular season with a 14-6 record, a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 193.2 innings, posting one of the best full season performances in Yankees history – and against the Sox in particular, his dominance to date has been among the game’s very best, in an match-up, ever.
A Dominance Amongst The Game’s Greats
In four regular-season starts against the Red Sox this year, Schlittler went 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA, allowing two earned runs in 24.1 innings and recording 27 strikeouts. In the interest of full fairness, the distinction between earned runs and total runs works in his favour here; Schlittler allowed four unearned runs during a five-inning outing at Fenway Park in June. Nevertheless, his ability to shut down the Red Sox has been unusually consistent.
To put it into some historical context, consider for a minute the well-documented dominance of Sandy Koufax over the New York Mets. In eight appearances between June 1962 and July 1964, Koufax gave up only two earned runs over 65 innings, for a miniscule 0.28 ERA. Consider also the dominance of Red Sox great Pedro Martinez against the then-dormant then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays – across 42 innings in six starts between March 2003 and August 2004, Pedro shut down the D-Rays to the tune of a 0.43 ERA.
Schlittler versus the Sox, to date, is right in the conversation with both of them. And he has done it in postseason games to boot.
| Pitcher and team | Stretch | GS | IP | ER | ERA | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Koufax v NY Mets | 6/30/62 – 7/5/64 | 8 | 65 | 2 | 0.28 | 70 |
| Pedro Martinez v TB Devil Rays | 3/31/03 – 8/12/04 | 6 | 42 | 2 | 0.43 | 34 |
| Cam Schlittler v Boston Red Sox | 10/3/25 – 9/29/26 | 6 | 38.2 | 2 | 0.47 | 49 |
Red Sox Cannot Hit Schlittler
Schlittler’s most consequential performance against the Red Sox – prior to last night, at least – came in Game 3 of the 2025 Wild Card Series. In what was his postseason debut, Schlittler – who grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts, and attended Northeastern – pitched eight scoreless innings, allowed five hits and struck out 12 without issuing a walk. The Yankees won the deciding game and eliminated Boston.
Furthermore, Schlittler’s latest outing also made him the first Yankees pitcher with multiple postseason games containing at least 10 strikeouts and no runs allowed. Both came against the Red Sox, too, adding a franchise milestone and tidy bow to his already-exceptional record in the matchup.
Six starts is, of course, a limited career sample, and no past results guarantee continued dominance. They do, however, encompass considerably more than one outstanding night. Across a full year of regular-season work and successive postseasons, Boston has faced Schlittler repeatedly, and can’t get near him. And they will be well aware of that, too.
Cam Schlittler’s Career Numbers Against Red Sox Are Unbelievable