The New York Yankees secured a dominant 9-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
Ben Rice led New York’s offense with two home runs, four hits and six RBIs, while Cam Schlittler dominated Boston from the mound and never let the Red Sox threaten on the scoreboard.
Schlittler threw 6.1 shutout innings, allowing just two hits, both of which were singles, and striking out 10 batters while throwing a career-high 117 pitches.
He threw the most pitches by a Yankees starter in the playoffs since 2012, when legend CC Sabathia threw 121 pitches.
Sabathia Makes Statement on Schlittler
Sabathia tuned into the game after recently having his number retired by the Yankees this past weekend.
He praised Schlittler for his dominant performance, which helped catapult the Yankees to a 1-0 series lead.
“117! Incredible tone-setting performance, Cam. AL Cy Young in the bag,” Sabathia posted on X.
117! Incredible tone setting performance Cam. AL Cy Young in the bag.
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) September 30, 2026
Schlittler Makes Playoff History Against Red Sox
While his pitch count was certainly a major topic of discussion, Schlittler also made MLB postseason history with his dominant performance.
He became the first player in Yankees history with multiple postseason outings of 10+ strikeouts and zero runs allowed. Both of those outings came against the Red Sox.
After the game, Schlittler made it clear that he wants to become a legend in the league, and he knows he has to perform in the playoffs when it matters most.
“It’s very well known that if you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal, you’ve got to do it in the postseason,” Schlittler said. “Go out there and have dominant starts and put the team in the position to win.”
CC Sabathia Makes Strong Statement on Cam Schlittler After 117-Pitch Outing