On March 11, just weeks before Opening Day, the Yankees were dealt a devastating blow: Gerrit Cole, their ace just two years removed from a Cy Young Award, would undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL. Cole’s season was over before it began. New York, however, leaned on the pitching depth throughout the organization and expressed optimism that others could step up. What nobody could have predicted was that the “next Gerrit Cole” was already in their clubhouse, quietly building toward his breakout. His name: Cam Schlittler.
Seven months later, on the biggest stage, Schlittler made a name for himself across baseball. The 24-year-old righty took the ball in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series—against his hometown team, the Boston Red Sox—and delivered a performance that quickly etched his name into Yankee history. He dominated Boston over eight scoreless innings, allowing five hits, striking out 12, and issuing zero walks. In doing so, he became the 26th pitcher to strike out 10 or more in their postseason debut, and the third Yankee to do so. The Red Sox never mounted a threat; their season ended, and a new Yankee star was born.
Schlittler’s dominance goes beyond the box score—it was his efficiency. Schlittler dealt 107 pitches, 75 for strikes, and induced 18 whiffs. More importantly, he got ahead of hitters early, throwing first-pitch strikes to 22 of the 29 batters he faced. His four-seam fastball and sinker averaged a mind-blowing 98.9 MPH, setting up a cutter and curveball that kept Boston’s hitters guessing. Overall, Cam Schlittler had the highest average pitch velocity of any pitcher in any start since the pitch tracking era began in 2008 (min. 100 pitches). His arsenal boasted a 112 stuff+1 according to FanGraphs during the regular season, and it showed last night.
Below is the home plate view of all 107 of Cam Schlittler’s pitches from last night. In red is the four seam fastball, orange the sinker, brown the cutter, blue the curveball:
What truly stood out was his balance of aggression and control. Other young flamethrowers—like Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski or Colorado’s Chase Dollander—boast elite velocity but struggle to command the zone, both carrying walk rates north of 11%. Schlittler looked to be in a similar boat earlier this year, walking nine batters in his first 15 big-league innings. But as the season progressed, and especially last night, he showed poise and trust in his entire arsenal. It wasn’t just power—it was controlled dominance.
Comparisons to Gerrit Cole are inevitable—and deserved. Schlittler didn’t just overpower Boston; he pitched with the maturity, presence, and command of a seasoned veteran. For the Yankees, his emergence changes the narrative of a season that once seemed doomed by Cole’s absence. Schlittler is not a stopgap or emergency starter—he looks like a cornerstone. If Game 3 was any indication of what’s to come, the Bronx is preparing for a new era: one led by Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and now, Cam Schlittler.
A year that began with heartbreak may end with hope. In Game 3, Schlittler didn’t just eliminate the Red Sox. He announced himself as the Yankees’ next ace—and perhaps, the heir to Cole’s throne.
- Stuff+ is a stat by FanGraphs that measures the “nastiness” or quality of a pitch based on its physical characteristics, not its outcome. It uses a model, created by Eno Sarris, to analyze metrics like velocity, spin, extension, and movement, and a Stuff+ score of 100 represents league average. A score above 100 indicates an above-average pitch, while a score below 100 suggests a below-average pitch. ↩︎
The Yankee Office 
Leave a comment