NEW YORK – It’s the pitching matchup of the week.
On Tuesday night, it’s Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal against Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler. Both are all-world on the mound. Skubal is the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, while Schlittler has been shoving all year.
Skubal, who had loose bodies removed from his elbow on May 6, has been OK since his return on June 13, sporting a 4.96 ERA in three games but with 21 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. Schlittler, 25, has been almost unstoppable this season, leading AL pitchers in WAR per Baseball Reference (4.0), ERA (1.62) and ERA+ (260).
Both players were later-round picks in the MLB Draft. Schlittler, a seventh-round selection out of Northeastern in 2022, didn’t go quite as late in the Draft as Skubal, a ninth-rounder in 2018 out of Seattle University. But Schlitter did dip in the Draft following what evaluators saw as a dropoff in his junior season.
Now look at them. They are two of the best at their craft. Schlittler has a fan in Skubal.
“He's the best pitcher in the American League right now,” the 29-year-old Skubal said. “Seeing his stuff, it's pretty dynamic and electric. He throws a ton of strikes, a lot of high-velocity stuff, the three fastballs – fastball, cutter, sinker – goes right after guys, has a good curveball.
“He's performed in big moments, too. I think he's a pretty impressive player at that stage in his career. It speaks volumes probably about who he is behind the scenes, too. I don't know him at all personally, but I'm sure we'd get along well.”
Schlittler has similar feelings about Skubal. While he understands the hype, Schlittler looks at the game as him against the Tigers.
“He is a great player and the Tigers have a great team over there, so it should be an exciting matchup,” Schlittler said. “Realistically, it’s me vs. their lineup. At the same time you have to realize, for the most part, it might be a close game. You have to have a little extra for that and be aware that he is the best pitcher in the game.”
Skubal will be competing against a group of hitters he saw just six days earlier at Comerica Park in the Yankees' 4-2 win. He allowed three homers in that game for the first time since his rookie season in 2021, including two to Paul Goldschmidt, who’s 7-for-13 with four homers off Skubal for his career.
“He's a great hitter,” Skubal said. “He was able to run two balls out of the yard. He's a good dude, too, so it makes me feel a little bit better about it, I guess.”
Schlittler will face the Tigers for the second time in his career. The first start came on Sept. 11, 2025, at Yankee Stadium, when Schlittler allowed one run in six innings as New York won, 9-3.
Even though he won the game, Schlittler was still trying to figure himself out as a pitcher. It wasn’t until last Sept. 27 against the Orioles that Schlittler figured out how to stay consistent on the mound. He pitched seven scoreless innings in that 6-1 win, a warmup to his coming-out party: eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts against the Red Sox as the Yankees clinched the AL Wild Card Series.
Schlittler has a four-seamer, a cutter and a slider that make hitters uncomfortable.
“I was able to find my identity. I felt like going into the offseason, I knew what I needed to do," Schlittler said. "I continued to get stronger, get in the weight room and take care of my body off the field.
"I was able to come into the season knowing my identity. I knew what I needed to do to attack hitters. I could dive in using those three fastball mixes more and more. As the season has gone along, I found great positive results in getting guys out.”