1. “We don’t say hate.” That’s what my wife and I have taught our kids. With one exception: when you’re talking about the Red Sox.
I hate the Red Sox. Everything about them. I hated them long before I was a freshman in college in Boston in 2004. (If I close my eyes, I can still hear the sounds from outside my 11th-floor downtown dorm room when Ruben Sierra grounded out to end Game 7.) I hated them long before the 2018 ALDS disaster and the 2021 Wild Card Game.
I spent my Yankees fandom up until a year ago wishing and praying a Yankee would come along that could dominate the Red Sox in a way that David Ortiz did. My wish was granted and my prayers were answered in the form of a pitcher named Cam Schlittler. He’s almost too perfect in the role as a Massachusetts native who grew up pitching in the Red Sox’ backyard. He attended college one mile from Fenway Park, and yet, he was drafted by the team’s archrival. And in 15 months as a major leaguer, he has owned the Red Sox in a way no Yankee ever has. In a way no pitcher ever has. In a way no professional athlete has ever owned any team.
2. Outside of my wife and kids, Schlittler (who has the same first name as my oldest son) is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. (I’m only somewhat joking.) He’s an ace in every sense of the title and utterly dominates the Red Sox every time he pitches against them. In Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, Schlittler threw a career-high 117 pitches over 6 1/3 scoreless innings, while allowing just two singles to go along with 10 strikeouts and one walk. This comes a year after he ended the Red Sox’ season with eight scoreless innings in a masterful 12-strikeout performance.
3. “It’s very well-known that if you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal,” Schlittler said, “you’ve got to do it in the postseason.”
Schlittler has now made six career starts against the Red Sox between the regular season and postseason and has pitched to this preposterous line: 38.2 IP, 22 H, 7 R, 2 ER, 10 BB, 49 K, 2 HR, 0.47 ERA, 0.828 WHIP. He’s already a legend in terms of the rivalry and he’s well on his way to being a postseason legend with a 0.87 ERA in three career postseason starts.
4. My only fear with Schlittler going into Game 1 was that I didn’t think this level of dominance could possibly continue. At some point, the Red Sox have to hit him, right? Maybe not. The Red Sox went into the game ready for Schlittler’s fastball-heavy approach and instead he leaned on a curveball that had the movement of a scraped-up Wiffle ball. Schlittler threw the most curves of his career and racked up strikeouts with it throughout the game. The game plan was a masterpiece and Schlittler executed it beautifully. I’m convinced the Red Sox will never hit him.
5. Schlittler wasn’t the only Massachusetts native to stick it to the Red Sox in Game 1. Ben Rice carried the offense the way he did all season in Aaron Judge’s absence. Rice doubled in his first at-bat, struck out in his second, hit a solo home run in his third, hit a 106.4-mph RBI single in his fourth and hit a grand slam in his fifth. He finished the game 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs. It was as if the Red Sox’ scouting report on Rice was to wrongfully throw him fastballs.
“Any time you can come through for the team in a playoff game,” Rice said, “it feels pretty awesome.”
6. It’s hard to remember a game in which the Yankees’ offense had more walks than strikeouts, but they did so in Game 1 with five walks and only four strikeouts. The Red Sox’ bullpen failed to record a single strikeout in 3 1/3 innings. Everyone not named Heliot Ramos contributed. (Ramos had three of the worst plate appearances you’ll ever see and has to go down as the worst player to ever bat third for the franchise in a playoff game.)
Paul Goldschmidt drew two walks. Rice had the all-time night. Cody Bellinger had a single. George Lombard Jr. had three hits in his postseason debut, becoming the second-youngest player in major-league history to record three hits in a postseason game. Amed Rosario drew a walk. Anthony Volpe had a single and a well-placed sacrifice bunt. Spencer Jones had a single and a walk and Austin Wells had two singles, a sacrifice fly and drove in two runs, including the game’s first run. Wells has the opportunity to erase one of the worst offensive regular seasons in the history of baseball in the postseason, and he’s off to a fast start. (Even Ryan McMahon drew a walk in the game. It was a four-pitch walk, which goes to show you just how bad Red Sox reliever Wyatt Olds is.)
7. The offense did enough against Payton Tolle to chase him after 4 2/3 innings. I was surprised Chad Tracy took him out when he did, as Tracy managed like early-career Aaron Boone (though Boone hasn’t evolved much since 2018) in the game, treating a one- and two-run postseason game like a random midseason game. Boone didn’t have to do much, and that’s the goal: keep Boone out of the game. Let him sit in the dugout and blow his bubbles, rotate his watch and shake hands at the end. Schlittler made sure Boone didn’t have an impact on the game and the offense did enough before blowing it open to keep Boone’s brain from maneuvering the game in the wrong direction. Boone did the right thing in pushing Schlittler the way he did and made the right call by going to Paul Blackburn when he did.
8. It was telling when Boone went with Volpe over Jazz Chisholm in the starting lineup, especially after sitting Chisholm last year in Game 1 and after Chisholm’s comments earlier this week, essentially threatening to have a tantrum if he didn’t play against lefties. Well, he didn’t play against the lefty, and when Boone had the chance to use Chisholm in a guaranteed plate appearance against a righty in the sixth inning, he stayed with Volpe. And I loved it. I like this version of Volpe. I’m fine with Volpe being an average-at-best bat if he hits at the bottom of the order and plays a great second base, which he has. He looks like a natural at second. He looked out of place at shortstop. If Boone stays with Volpe as the starting second baseman with the right-handed Sonny Gray starting Game 2, Chisholm may not show up to the game.
I think Chisholm will start Game 2. I think eight left-handed bats will start Game 2. I think Boone will go with this lineup:
- Ben Rice, DH
- Cody Bellinger, LF
- Luis Garcia, 1B
- Spencer Jones, RF
- Jazz Chisholm, 2B
- George Lombard Jr., SS
- Trent Grisham, CF
- Ryan McMahon, 3B
- Austin Wells, C
That means Boone will have Volpe, Ramos, Rosario, Goldschmidt, Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Caballero and Ali Sanchez to deploy as right-handed pinch hitters once the Red Sox go to their lefty-heavy bullpen.
9. Max Fried goes for the Yankees. Fried shut down the Red Sox with eight scoreless innings back in April and pitched well against them again in August in an abbreviated, pitch-count-limited start coming off the injured list. Fried pitched very well against them in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series last year, and I expect him to do so again on seven days’ rest.
10. Game 1 was fun. A little too fun. Pouring it on in the eighth was euphoric. I don’t want to write it, but I have to: It felt like Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS. I know, I know. I shouldn’t have written that, but I did. The Yankees need to make sure it isn’t history repeating itself by winning on Wednesday. Only one team in the 16 best-of-3 series to date has erased a 1-0 deficit, and that was the Yankees over the Red Sox last year. Don’t allow a second instance to happen. Go out in Game 2 and do what you should have done in the four-game series in June and end the Red Sox’ season.
Last modified: Sep 30, 2026
