It's phenom vs. phenom. Postseason sensation vs. postseason sensation. Schlittler vs. Yesavage.
Tonight is the marquee matchup of the Yankees and Blue Jays' 2025 American League Division Series rematch: Cam Schlittler and Trey Yesavage going toe to toe.
The pitchers' duel at Yankee Stadium is set for 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network.
"I think it's fun," Schlittler said. "When I look at who I'm facing that day, that doesn't affect how I'm going to go about my day and how I'm going to prepare for my start. But sometimes you notice."
Both of these pitchers are young. Both of them are electric. Both of them burst onto the scene with incredible playoff performances. And both of them have been dominant to start 2026.
Here's a look at the paths they took to tonight's showdown.
Brilliant postseason debuts
Last October, the Yankees and Blue Jays weren't afraid to give the ball to their star rookies on the big stage. And Schlittler and Yesavage both delivered.
Schlittler, after 14 starts in the regular season, made his playoff debut in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series against the archrival Red Sox. He delivered eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts to eliminate the Sox and send the Yankees to the ALDS.
Awaiting the Bronx Bombers there were Yesavage and the Blue Jays.
Yesavage had just made his MLB debut on Sept. 15. He'd made just three big league starts before the playoffs. He'd started the year at Single-A in the Minors.
But Yesavage got the ball for Game 2 against the Yankees, and he was unhittable. Literally. Yesavage pitched 5 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball in his postseason debut, striking out 11 Yankees in a blowout Blue Jays win.
A few days later, the Jays managed to take down Schlittler in Game 4 (although he pitched pretty well) and eliminate the Yankees. Yesavage continued to pitch masterfully for Toronto's entire postseason run, including in the World Series against the Dodgers.
Dominant starts to 2026
Schlittler might be the Cy Young favorite in the American League right now. The 25-year-old is 6-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 60 innings over 10 starts. That ERA is the best in the Majors among qualified starters.
With ace Gerrit Cole missing the start of the season (he'll be back Friday), it's Schlittler, even more so than Max Fried, who's led the way for the Yankees' rotation as New York has gotten off to a 30-19 start and holds a firm grasp on a playoff spot.
But Yesavage, whose start to the season was delayed due to a right shoulder impingement, has been lights-out himself since his return. The 22-year-old has a 1.40 ERA through four starts and 21 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings.
Yesavage, who's technically still a rookie and ranked MLB Pipeline's No. 5 prospect, is just the type of spark Toronto needs as the AL pennant winners have scuffled at the start of 2026.
There's no question Schlittler is the hotter pitcher entering tonight's duel. He's been as valuable as any pitcher in baseball this year. But Yesavage has the stuff to outpitch anyone.
"I think I'll be pretty locked in for that game," Schlittler said. "I'm excited to face them again."
Overpowering pitch arsenals
Schlittler and Yesavage are two of the most overpowering young pitchers in the game. They're also two unique pitchers who dominate in very different ways.
The 6-foot-6 Schlittler uses his trio of fastballs -- a 98 mph four-seamer, 97 mph sinker and 94 mph cutter -- to overwhelm hitters who simply cannot be ready for all three of those pitches when they come in at such high velocity but also move in three different directions.
He throws some variation of a fastball over 90% of the time -- the most of any MLB starting pitcher -- and it doesn't matter. You still can't hit him.
Yesavage is a big righty, too, standing 6-foot-4, but what makes him an outlier is his extreme over-the-top arm angle.
Yesavage's 64-degree arm angle is the most over-the-top in the Majors. He also has MLB's highest release point, delivering the ball from 7.15 feet off the ground.
That delivery makes Yesavage's signature pitch, his wipeout splitter, look like it's falling from the sky, and also produces funky left-to-right movement on his slider -- the opposite direction you would expect.
"He's a good young player, and I think it's fun to face young guys," Schlittler said. "Hopefully we're facing each other for the next X amount of years. That's the situation you want to be in."