Just a few weeks faraway from the Yankees’ four-game ALDS loss to the Blue Jays, Cam Schlittler nonetheless discovered himself within the metropolis that had come to embrace him over the earlier three months.
The Walpole, Massachusetts native – who dominated his hometown Crimson Sox in Sport 3 of the Wild Card Sequence earlier than including an enough outing within the Bombers’ ultimate recreation of the season — spent that point understanding at Yankee Stadium, taking in New York Metropolis’s sights and sounds, and treating his dad and mom, John and Christine, to an anniversary weekend in SoHo. The trio even loved a taping of Saturday Evening Reside and a backstage meet and greet with Lorne Michaels.
The 24-year-old, contemporary off a rookie marketing campaign that noticed him put up a 2.96 ERA over 14 begins whereas establishing himself as a fixture within the Yankees’ rotation, has since returned to the Boston space. He’s a little bit of a villain in these elements now, as he totaled 12 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings towards the rival Sox in that decisive Wild Card recreation earlier than speaking a ton of trash, his response to some Massholes going after him and his household on social media previous to the “personal” efficiency.
Schlittler stored the confrontation going for a bit after that Oct. 3 recreation, doing a little trolling of his personal on the platform previously generally known as Twitter. Prompted by a fan ready on an autograph, he was additionally filmed saying “F–k Boston” after attending a Knicks recreation with Aaron Choose and Devin Williams on Oct. 22.
“I respect Boston. I know I’ve said certain things,” Schlittler stated. “I believe after I say that, it’s extra directed on the individuals who have been coming at my household and have been throughout me earlier than that begin, making an attempt to cancel me, no matter it was.
“I’ve never said anything bad about that team or those players or other Boston sports teams. So for me, it really has nothing to do with the actual city.”
It seems the Bruins received in on the joke. A person of his phrase. https://t.co/8VGmxnkcsi pic.twitter.com/jIU3g5AW3i
Schlittler stated that Bostonians have been a lot kinder in individual. He made it again dwelling in time for Halloween, which fell on a Friday and gave him and his buddies excuse for some nights out. A number of intoxicated Crimson Sox followers approached Schlittler, however a lot to his shock, nobody bothered him, a stark distinction from these “running their mouths” on-line.
“It’s good to be able to come home and still feel comfortable around the city that you grew up in,” Schlittler stated.
The correct-hander, in the meantime, is on a self-imposed hiatus from tweeting. After expressing his appreciation for Boston and New York Metropolis in a prolonged put up earlier this month, he added that he’s going darkish till Feb. 11, proper across the time pitchers and catchers are anticipated at spring coaching.
“If I’m going to talk, I’m gonna make sure I back it up, and that’s not something I can really do in the offseason,” Schlittler stated. “Once the season comes back around and I’m able to back that stuff up, if I need to talk, then I’ll talk.”
Within the meantime, the confident Schlitter is working to make sure that his chew on the mound continues to match his bark off of it.
He has been dwelling with two of his Northeastern teammates, Yankees farmhand Thomas Balboni Jr. and Padres prospect Eric Yost, and coaching at their alma mater. Throwing started a couple of weeks in the past, and Schlittler, who primarily relied on his 98-mph four-seam fastball (55% utilization), cutter (21%) and curveball (15%) final season, plans to include a changeup or a splitter this winter.
Schlittler scrapped the pitch in favor of the cutter, which got here extra naturally to him, after the minor league season started. With the Yankees’ rotation depth whittling away and Schlittler, an unheralded prospect earlier than bursting onto the scene final season, making an attempt to climb the minor league ranks, he didn’t really feel he might hold experimenting with a pitch he wasn’t fairly snug with.
“We’re trying to get him something that he can get below the barrel but can command,” Blake stated, including that he desires Schlittler to refine what he already has, although a changeup would assist him towards lefties. “How do you avoid the foul ball war? How do you get some weak contact at times?”
Schlittler additionally stated that he feels good bodily after throwing 149.2 innings in 2025, his single-season excessive as a professional, and that he’s placed on a couple of kilos. He felt he was at his finest when he was round 215 kilos final season, so he desires to report back to spring coaching at 223 kilos, as he anticipates shedding a couple of as he ramps up underneath the Florida solar.
With no holidays deliberate, Schlittler stated his subsequent scheduled cease is the Yankees’ participant improvement complicated in Tampa. He’ll head there the primary week of January, roughly a month earlier than his attendance is required throughout the road at George M. Steinbrenner Area.
From there, Schlittler will look to show that his success this previous 12 months was just the start. The Yankees are banking on that, as fellow starters Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt will all start the 2026 season on the injured checklist.
“I was happy with how my three months went in my rookie season, but it could have been a lot better,” Schlittler stated. “So there’s some issues I want to wash up, and there was a number of discuss within the media throughout that playoff run, however I’m desirous to go on the market and again it up.
“I’m eager to go out there and show everyone that I can do that again, and I can hopefully continue to do that for the next 10 years.”
