ARLINGTON – Cam Schlittler’s most recent performance drew rave reviews from all corners of the Yankees clubhouse, with teammates commenting about his confidence and poise.
Perhaps the only one who didn’t seem all that impressed with Schlittler was – well, Schlittler himself.
“From a standpoint of what I do out there, and how my stuff is, it wasn’t great,” Schlittler said. “So it was definitely a grind, and I made adjustments as the game went along. There were a few mistakes there that cost me some runs. I’ll learn from it and take it into Texas.”
Reading that quote, you might think Schlittler was knocked around and sent to an early shower. Nope – he lasted a career-high eight innings, limiting the Red Sox to two runs (one earned), doing it all while navigating the noise and emotions of his first Major League start at Fenway Park.
No wonder the right-hander’s teammates are so high on Schlittler, who has earned a place among the game’s most exciting young pitchers. Schlittler will make his seventh start of the season on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. ET at Globe Life Field, taking on the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom in a high-octane matchup.
“He’s just extremely confident up there,” Cody Bellinger said of Schlittler, who is 3-1 with a 1.77 ERA. “He’s fun to play behind. He’s just been tremendous this year, pitching and handling everything that comes with it.”
Jazz Chisholm, Jr. said he took notice of Schlittler quickly last season, when he arrived in the big leagues as a second-half call-up and instantly looked like he was in The Show to stay.
“From his first start ever, I always thought he was impressive, and I’ve expressed that to him all his career,” Chisholm said. “He’s dynamite out there. He has that … attitude like Carlos [Rodón] and Gerrit [Cole] that everybody loves and everybody adores when you’re playing behind him.”
Now that blue-collar demeanor makes its way to Texas, where Schlittler will look to continue a run that has seen him permit one earned run or fewer in four of his six starts, exhibiting stellar command (four walks to 133 batters faced).
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to limit the distractions and go out there to do my job,” Schlittler said.