Boston Red Sox
“I wouldn’t say I’m always on my phone looking for that stuff,” Schlittler said. “At the same time, I don’t really live under a rock as well.”
Cam Schlittler has been a menace on the mound against the Red Sox over the last two seasons.
But, the Walpole native and former Northeastern University star has more on his mind than just dominating Boston’s lineup during Tuesday’s anticipated Game 1 matchup against the Red Sox.
Speaking ahead of the best-of-three Wild Card series at Yankee Stadium, Schlittler acknowledged that he still has a hefty chip on his shoulder given the amount of chirps and online barbs he’s received from Red Sox fans.
So far, the AL Cy Young frontrunner has embraced that vitriol and his standing as the next great antagonist in the Boston sports sphere — and said he channels that negativity into fuel out on the mound.
After ending Boston’s season last October with an eight-inning masterpiece in Game 3 of that Wild Card series, Schlittler is looking to put his hometown team on the ropes once again Tuesday in the Bronx.
“I wouldn’t say I’m always on my phone looking for that stuff,” Schlittler said. “At the same time, I don’t really live under a rock as well. I’ve found ways to use that to my advantage. I think I’m good at keeping receipts.”
Schlittler already has an extensive track record of trading taunts with Red Sox fans.
After ending the Red Sox’ 2025 campaign, Schlittler took to social media to twist the knife against Boston.
“Drinking dat dirty water,” Schlittler wrote in one social media post after he shut down Boston’s bats in that win-or-go-home bout.
After that Game 3 win, Schlittler said beating Boston became “personal” to him, noting that he and his family had been harassed online by Red Sox fans.
“I’m not gonna get into it, but there’s a line and I think they crossed it a little bit,” Schlittler told reporters. “I’m a competitor, and I’m gonna go out there and make sure I shut ’em down.
“You know Boston fans, that’s just how it is. We’re aggressive back home and we’re gonna try to get under people’s skin. They just picked the wrong guy to do it to and the wrong team to do it to.”
Those battles continued this season, with the righty telling Joel Sherman of the New York Post in April that both he and his family received death threats and other messages ahead of his first game at Fenway Park.
“Most normal fans could care less, right?” Schlittler told Sherman. “It’s just those diehards that just have nothing else in their lives other than baseball or sports that really care about this and the fact that I play for the Yankees makes it worse for them.”
So far, Schlittler hasn’t let Red Sox fans knock him off his game. In his first full year in the majors, Schlittler went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA, striking out 239 batters over 193 innings of work.
He’s been at his best when going up against the Red Sox, going 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA against Boston in 2026.
“I faced other teams in the AL four times this year, and I’ve seen good success,” Schlittler said. “You’ve got to rely on your strengths. At the same time, you’ve got to see what adjustments they make and kind of just go from there.”
For all of the drama rooted in his beef with Boston — coupled with the natural animosity between the Red Sox and Yankees — Schlittler said he’s not overthinking his anticipated postseason rematch on Tuesday night.
“I feel like I’m a competitor,” Schlittler said. “It’s not something that bothers me. I’m going to go out there and do my job and put my team in the best position to win.”
The Red Sox will look to counter Schlittler with rookie southpaw Payton Tolle, who is cut from a bit of a different cloth than the intense, steely Schlittler.”
“A real slobberknocker,” a grinning Tolle said on Monday when asked to describe Tuesday’s bout with New York. “It’s going to be a whole lot of fun. It’s going to be a really good night.”
“I’ve tried to be super locked in; it just doesn’t work for me,” Tolle added when asked about his gregarious approach to pitching and preparation. “I end up putting too much pressure on myself.
“I just have found that the way that I work the best is trying to be comfortable and trying to smile as much as I can out there.”
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