BOSTON – There was an old-school turtleneck peeking out from underneath Cam Schlittler’s hoodie as a deep half-circle of media crowded around the young Yankees right-hander inside Fenway Park’s visitors’ clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon.
Schlittler muttered an apology to locker neighbor Brent Headrick, who quickly dressed and departed, then stood to field questions. For those several minutes, if you squinted and swapped the smartphones with tape recorders, it could have been October 2003 again – which is the point, as “The Rivalry” stirs back to life.
“It’s intense. The atmosphere is great,” Schlittler said. “The fans really get into it, especially between innings. It’s very similar to New York. They do a good job of keeping the game entertaining and having the fans be interactive.”
Though Schlittler hasn’t been in the big leagues for a full season, he has already earned a reputation as a throwback – a hard-throwing right-hander eager to lean into the bad blood that once existed between two historic franchises.
“Some guys, I think that rivalry feeds them a little bit – like it does for me,” Schlittler said.
Growing up in Walpole, Mass., Schlittler rooted for the Red Sox. He’d frequently envision himself on the mound at Fenway – a dream he’d realize in 2020, when he toed the rubber in a prospect showcase. He’ll make his first Major League start in baseball’s oldest active stadium on Thursday.
He has already played the villain. Schlittler relished ending Boston’s season with a stellar 12-strikeout performance in the deciding Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series. That outing came after Schlittler said several fans “crossed the line” with social media messages sent to his mother, Christine.
In the aftermath, Schlittler said he hoped those anonymous voices had learned their lesson. Apparently not.
Schlittler told the New York Post that he and his family have received “death threats” ahead of Thursday’s start, though the hurler – whose father, John, is the Needham, Mass., chief of police – said he’s “not really concerned about it.”
“I’ve been dealing with stuff for six months now,” Schlittler said.
At various times, Schlittler has enjoyed poking back. As the Yankees celebrated after the Wild Card game, he reached for his phone to post: “Drinking dat dirty water.”
But his account has quieted. Manager Aaron Boone said he has spoken with Schlittler about being more selective, adding: “We’re trying to have him have less of a social media presence.”
“The goal is to win a championship,” Schlittler said, “and whatever I can do to help the team win is exactly what I’m looking to do. But I don’t think I’m going to get there by messing around with people on social media.”
The online vitriol stands in contrast to Schlittler’s in-person experiences. He was in Massachusetts for about three months of the offseason, and he played catch during Monday’s off-day at Northeastern University.
The fans he encountered, Schlittler said, were largely cordial.
“I wasn’t sure how the interactions were going to be at first, but they were great,” Schlittler said. “When I was out with my friends, people were very respectful, and I had no issues in the offseason. It gives you some good feeling that it’s really just the people online that aren’t respectful.
“At least typical Boston fans that are everyday guys, they’re not going to give you too much to worry about in person.”
Still, Schlittler said he doesn’t plan to spend nearly as much time in Boston this coming offseason.
“I’m probably not going to do that this year,” Schlittler said. “It’s good to come back and see the family, friends, do what I need to do. But I don’t think it takes three months to do that. It’s something I can get out of the way in a couple of weeks and then get back to work.”