SEATTLE -- Cam Schlittler pitched what was celebrated as “the game of his life” in the American League Wild Card Series last October, announcing his presence on the postseason stage with a gritty performance that sent the Red Sox home.
That designation may have been premature. The more Schlittler pitches at this level, those performances look like his standard.
The 25-year-old right-hander dominated again on Wednesday, striking out seven over 6 1/3 scoreless innings while retiring the final 15 batters he faced in a 5-3 victory over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
"The biggest thing is just pitching with a lead, making sure I’m taking care of what I need to do, being efficient,” Schlittler said. "Limiting the walks, hits and strikeouts is a good way to put the team in a position to win.”
Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer and Ben Rice added a ninth-inning blast, helping the Yankees complete a 5-1 season-opening road trip that is among their best starts of the last two decades. New York also opened 5-1 in 2020 and ‘24.
Run prevention has been the story: they’ve allowed just six runs, the third-fewest in MLB history by a team in its first six games (the 1915 Phillies and 2002 Giants each permitted five).
"It’s a good week for us, but we know there’s probably still six months to go,” Goldschmidt said. “We’ve talked about doing the little things, playing the game and making those plays. It isn’t always about hitting a homer. Hopefully those things will pay off.”
Slowed this spring by a back and lat issue that limited him to 68 pitches in his season debut against the Giants, Schlittler again showed no ill effects, touching 98.2 mph with his fastball.
Seattle managed two hits off Schlittler, and none after Luke Raley’s one-out single in the second inning.
Only the pitch count (79) tripped up Schlittler, who has permitted three hits across 11 2/3 innings, striking out 15 without issuing a walk.
"It’s exciting to see how dominant his stuff is, just filling up the strike zone,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He got some early outs and that allowed him to get pretty deep into the game with a pitch count. He’s throwing the ball incredibly well. He set the tone for us.”
Schlittler is the first Yankee to begin a season with back-to-back starts of at least five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts.
"He’s not afraid to come at you with his best stuff,” Rice said. “Clearly, he’s very difficult to hit.”
With Giancarlo Stanton receiving a planned day off, Goldschmidt hit his sixth-inning homer off George Kirby, who allowed four runs in six frames. It was Goldschmidt’s first home run off a right-hander since June 6 of last season.
"I love the guys in this lineup,” Goldschmidt said. “I love being a Yankee. I just have so much fun here. It’s a great team that has a chance to win. I’m happy to do whatever they need me to do. I love to play, but if I’m not in there, I love to root these guys on.”
Cal Raleigh cut into the Yankees’ lead with a two-run single off David Bednar in the eighth, coming after Camilo Doval loaded the bases on two hits and a walk.
Rice added insurance with a ninth-inning blast off Cooper Criswell. Rice has reached base safely in each of his first five games, with seven hits in 17 at-bats (.412).
"A couple of bounces went my way,” Rice said. “I think the quality of the at-bats overall has been good.”
Bednar surrendered Dominic Canzone’s run-scoring single in the ninth, then got Cole Young on a flyout to end it. Boone pushed Bednar to 40 pitches, which he said was “an uncomfortable place to be as a manager, especially at this point of the season.”
“But,” Boone said, “what a good job of not giving in.”
After a long spring, a pair of exhibitions in Arizona and six games on the West Coast, the Yankees will finally travel to the Bronx, preparing to host the Marlins in Friday’s 1:35 p.m. ET home opener.
"I think this team as a whole, we’re just feeding off each other and rolling with it,” Schlittler said. “To take the series here is a good feeling, and we’ll go home confident to play on Friday.”