New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler is responsible for this.
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler showed last year that not only was he not afraid of the bright lights, he embraced them.
That was on full display again Tuesday night as Schlittler dazzled with 6.1 shutout innings in the Yankees' Game 1 Wild Card win over the Boston Red Sox, racking up 10 strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk in the process.
Schlittler lowered his lifetime ERA against the Red Sox — which includes six starts in total — to 0.47, as it is becoming increasingly obvious that the right-hander relishes the chance to break the heart of his childhood team.
The Walpole, Ma. native has not only established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball, having logged a 1.95 ERA during his first full regular season in 2026, but he has also nearly single-handedly revived the best rivalry in sports.
There was a time when Yankees-Red Sox was always theater. The vitriol peaked in 2003 and 2004 when the two AL East squads met in back-to-back seven game ALCS battles, with the teams splitting the two series.
But since then, the rivalry has faded.
Yes, New York and Boston met in the playoffs again in 2018, and once again during a one-game Wild Card matchup in 2021 (the Red Sox came out on top both times). But the rivalry just did not carry the same cachet as it once did.
That may be changing, and it's all thanks to Schlittler.
It's not just that Schlittler dominates the Red Sox on the mound; he also lives rent free in the minds of Boston fans ... and he loves it.
Many stars shy away from interacting with opposing fans. Usually, it's pointless. But for Schlittler, banter with Red Sox fans is spinach to Popeye. It fires him up, and while he surely doesn't need extra motivation to throw gas, it clearly helps him, and he has admitted as much.
I don't think there is a single name that makes the blood of Beantown fans boil more than Cam Schlittler. Not Derek Jeter. Not Alex Rodriguez. Not Roger Clemens. Not even Bucky bleeping Dent.
And that's exactly how Schlittler would have it.
Who knew that Schlittler would end up becoming such a central figure when he made his obscure big-league debut last July? And who knew he would develop such a villain arc?
It's not just Schlittler's back-and-forth ribbing (if you can call it that) with Red Sox fans, either. It's his quiet confidence. It's his smug smirk. It's his nonchalant, almost arrogant demeanor ... and it's fantastic.
This series isn't over yet. The Yankees still have another game to win. But Schlittler has already done his job. Not just for New York, but for all of baseball.
The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is slowly returning, and we have Cam Schlittler to thank for it.
