BOSTON – Cam Schlittler didn’t need anyone to explain Fenway Park to him. He grew up close enough to feel it in his bones, having seen enough games over the years to understand exactly what type of vitriol he might experience while warming up in the bullpen.
The Yankees right-hander wanted all of it. Six months after sending the Red Sox home with a stellar performance to seal the American League Wild Card Series, Schlittler pitched off Fenway’s mound for the first time as a professional, firing eight innings in a 4-2 victory on Thursday evening.
Cody Bellinger’s pinch-hit two-run single tipped the scales in the seventh inning as the Yankees won their sixth consecutive game, completing New York’s first series sweep at Fenway since September 2021.
Having once rooted for the Red Sox in nearby Walpole, Mass., Schlittler embraced his place on the other side of the rivalry, swapping barbs with fans online before and after his Wild Card performance last year. The Yankees have since advised Schlittler to be more selective with his posts, and on Thursday, his performance did the talking.
With his parents, John and Christine, looking on from the field-level seats, Schlittler limited the Sox to two runs (one earned) on four hits. Carlos Narváez cleared the Green Monster with a fifth-inning solo homer against Schlittler, who struck out five while walking one.
Before Thursday, Schlittler’s only other experience on Fenway’s mound came in a high school prospect showcase – an outing that drew the attention of Matt Hyde, the Yankees scout who’d eventually recommend the club to sign him out of Northeastern University.
The Red Sox promoted their top prospect, Payton Tolle, who was impressive in a spot start. Tolle struck out 11 over six innings, touched only by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s first home run of the season, a fifth-inning solo shot that hooked around Pesky’s Pole in right field. At a Statcast-projected 333 feet, it was Chisholm’s shortest big league homer.
Aaron Judge added a run-scoring single in the seventh.