Cam Schlittler and the New York Yankees‘ dominant starting pitching continues to own the rival Boston Red Sox.
Schlittler threw eight innings of four-hit, two-run ball, and closer David Bednar locked the Yankees’ historic sweep of their archrivals with a 4-2 win Thursday at Fenway Park.
The Yankees allowed just three runs in three games against the Red Sox, their fewest in a head-to-head series at Fenway Park since 2001 (2).
It was just the third time ever the Yankees gave up three runs or fewer over a three-game sweep in Boston, with Aug. 10-12, 1918 and Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2001 being the others.
The Yankees (16-9) have now won six in a row and lead the Red Sox by seven games in the American League East. New York has the American League’s best record through 25 games.
Cam Schlittler Capped a Dominant Pitching Week in Boston for the Yankees
The Red Sox offense is down bad. They rank 26th in runs scored (90), 28th in team OPS (.644) and are last in home runs (13).
So this was not the week for the Yankees to come to town, especially with ace Max Fried and Schlittler, a Boston-area native and Red Sox nemesis, on the bump.
Yet it was Luis Gil who authored the most dominant outing of the week. Gil tossed 6 1/3 innings of two-hit, shutout ball and outdueled young Boston ace Connolly Early in the Yanks’ 4-0 win Tuesday.
Backed by Fried, who struck out nine and gave up three hits in eight innings, New York then came an out away from a second straight shutout in its 4-1 win at Fenway on Wednesday.
Then Schlittler capped the sweep by flummoxing Boston again. He pitched around an unearned run in the second inning and Carlos Narvaez’s fifth-inning homer — his first home run against this season — to improve to 3-1 and drop his ERA to 1.77 through six starts.
“That’s an ace-like performance,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought he was kind of finding himself the first few innings, but once he did he kind of settled in.”
Schlittler has now allowed just one earned run and struck out 17 in 16 career regular-season/playoff innings against Boston. He, of course, threw eight shutout innings and struck out 12 in the Yankees’ 4-0 win over the Red Sox in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series last October.
But pitching at Fenway, where he grew up going to games, didn’t agree with Schlittler right away.
“I think I was a little too cool,” Schlittler told Meredith Marakovits of YES Network after the game. “I don’t think I had the adrenaline I was looking for. Just had to make the most of it and keep grinding.”
The Yankees’ Pitching Continues to be Elite
The Yankees are known as the Bronx Bombers, but their pitching has been the story through one month of the season.
The Yankees rank first in the American League, and share the MLB lead in ERA (3.16) with the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees also lead the majors in starters’ ERA (2.67) and are tied for fourth in MLB in innings pitched (138.0) by starters.
Gil (4.11) is the only Yankees starter with an ERA above 3.18.
But the scariest thought for opponents is the fact the Yankees’ starting pitching is still not fully healthy. They will add 2024 AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and 2025 18-game winner Carlos Rodon (shoulder surgery) in the next 4-6 weeks.
Yankees Make History With Road Sweep of Rival Red Sox