The New York Yankees shouldn't get cute with Cam Schlittler.
Cam Schlittler hasn't just been the New York Yankees' best pitcher this season. He has been the best pitcher in the American League, and if not for Jacob Misiorowski's dominance in Milwaukee, he would be the unquestioned best pitcher in baseball.
After giving up one run in three innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, Schlittler finished the 2026 MLB regular season with a 1.95 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He racked up 239 strikeouts over 193.2 innings of work, and he posted a 4.88 K/BB ratio.
It was one of the best showings by a pitcher in Yankee history, and should guarantee him a Game 1 start in the Wild Card Series next week.
But does it?
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about the potential playoff rotation on Wednesday, he said "not necessarily" when asked whether or not Schlittler would start the playoff opener. Pitching coach Matt Blake then said there were several iterations of what New York's rotation could look like come Sept. 29.
My question is, how?
I understand the nuances of thinking ahead and ensuring that Schlittler would also be able to start certain games of the Division Series, but as Boone himself even noted, the Yankees need to win the Wild Card Series first.
The Wild Card Series is a best two out of three. You don't get extended opportunities to advance. You need to do it quickly, so you should want your best pitcher on the mound in Game 1. Period.
It's true that New York has four pitchers who could potentially be viewed as a Game 1 starter. However, Gerrit Cole has not quite looked himself over the last month, and both Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have questionable postseason resumes.
Meanwhile, Schlittler absolutely sparkled in his playoff debut last fall, tossing eight shutout innings to go along with 12 strikeouts in a decisive Game 3 Wild Card win over the Boston Red Sox. And guess who he'll be facing again this year? Yep: the Red Sox.
The same Boston squad against whom Schlittler owns a lifetime 0.56 ERA.
Sorry, but there is no way you can't give Schlittler the ball in Game 1 of this upcoming series. Now, do I think Boone will ultimately send Schlittler out to the mound for the first matchup? Yes, and it's possible there is some gamesmanship being played on his part here.
But in the event that Boone legitimately is thinking of starting someone else, he needs to stop getting cute and just use the best man for the job.
Cole, Fried and Rodon might all have seniority, but Schlittler isn't just some hot-shot rookie. He's already proven the bright lights of October baseball don't faze him, and he just posted a sub-2.00 ERA over 33 regular-season starts.
Just give Cam the ball and get it over with.
