Holy Schlitter!

 

“I told Andy [Pettitte] yesterday, I wasn’t going to let them beat me.” Cam Schlitter after his dominate and historic performance that helped lift the New York Yankees 4-0 over the Boston Red Sox in the decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. And, on the 47th anniversary of the Bucky Dent Game Cam Schlitter added another reason for Yankee and Red Sox fans to remember October 2nd, it’s because it will also now also be known as the day of the Holy Schlitt Game.

In just his 15th Major League start and his first ever playoff start, Cam Schlitter set a rookie Major League record for strike outs in a playoff debut, 12, threw eight shutout innings, only surrendering five hits, and didn’t walk a Boston hitter. “I’m not surprised” New York Yankee Manager Aaron Boone said postgame of his rookie starter. No offense Aaron, but everyone else was. Even Alex Cora said postgame “we needed to be perfect tonight, because he was perfect… that was electric.”

An electricity that will be the source of stories of Yankee lore for this current generation of Yankee fans. Since 2000, there has only been 12 games in which a Yankee starter has pitched eight innings or more in a playoff start. Only three of them has the starter struck out 10 or more, Mike Mussina (10) against Arizona in Game 5 of the 2001 World Series, Roger Clemmons (12) in Game 4 of the ALCS against Seattle, and now Cam Schlitter (12) against the Red Sox last night. Also, the eight scoreless recorded by Schlitter was just the third time since 2000 that a Yankee pitcher reached such a feat. Roger Clemmons did it both times before in the aforementioned Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS as well as Game 2 of the 2000 Subway Series World Series.

The last time a Yankee starter pitched 8 innings was CC Sabathia in Game 4 of the 2009 ALCS—Sabathia also went eight innings in Game 1 of that series as well. What Schlitter did last night welcomes and all conversations about all-time Yankee postseason performances.

Not lost in Schlitter’s gem was the second to last out of the rookie’s night. Ryan McMahon crashing into the Red Sox dugout and flipping over the dugout railing while securing a Jarren Duran pop up. “That’s what it’s all about. Getting dirty. Leaving it all on the field” is how Yankee Captain Aaron Judge described McMahon putting his body on the line. With that play, the second out of the 8th inning of the deciding game of the first round of the playoffs, Ryan McMahon officially earned his pinstripes. McMahon since coming over from Colorado on July 25th has largely been a nonfactor. He hit just .208/.308/.641 with four home runs, eight doubles, and 18 RBIs in 54 games. He went 1-4 with a walk in this series against Boston. But because he threw caution to the wind and was willing to sacrifice his body in a playoff game against the hated Boston Red Sox, the Yankee fan can’t help but say he’s one of ours now.

 The Yankee manager, Aaron Boone, also deserves his much due credit for his role in moving onto the American League Division Series. He knew exactly what was at stake. “Going into tonight, for me personally, it felt like as pressure packed [a] game as I’ve ever been in. As a player, manager, that’s World Series games, that’s clinching to go to the World Series games, you know just because man, the context in my brain of like, what I think our team is, a great opponent, a storied opponent, here down one, the boys answered the bell and played great baseball the last couple of days.” The Yankees did answer the bell beating the Boston Red Sox in a playoff series since Aaron Boone walked the Red Sox into the offseason in the 2003 ALCS. In a different way he did the same thing in 2025.

After being outmanaged in the first game of the series, Boone took back control and never let off the accelerator. And it all culminated in the Game 3 domination. Boone’s lineup construction didn’t allow an easy spot for Alex Cora to deploy his bullpen for a platoon advantage. His willingness to pitch David Bednar for a third day in a row when that is as close to a cardinal sin in today’s analytical world.  But perhaps Boone’s two biggest accomplishments are leaning on his third-generation baseball roots and allowing the game to tell him how to manage it. Sticking with Jazz Chisholm and Ben Rice against left-handed starter Connelly Early, and of course, leaving Schlitter in the game in the 7th and 8th inning to continue to keep Boston off balance. That move alone should be a wakeup call for Boone and the Yankee front office. Allowing a player to continue to rise to the occasion in turn unlocks the Yankee playoff crowd to get completely unhinged in the best way possible. How many times has Boone in past playoff games allowed the numbers and script dictate what he does next. Not last night. That’s an encouraging sign for a manager that is managing a team he believes is the best one he’s had.

Last night in the Bronx the new Yankee Stadium finally sounded like the old one again. Not that it hasn’t with the 2009 World Series Championship and the few deep postseasons runs including last years’ dash to the fall classic. But the feeling of postseason ghosts, the mystique of the moment, and the all-in row of the crowd brought back the special sound only Yankee Stadium in October can provide.

“Definitely a dream to play Boston in the playoffs and end their season” was how Cam Schlitter ended his time with the media in the clubhouse as champagne rained down on his head. That dream is something a generation of Yankee fans didn’t know the feeling of. Now thanks to Cam Schlitter, Aaron Boone, Jazz Chisholm, and the rest this Yankee ballclub they finally do.