“There’s a line that I think they crossed a little bit,” Schlittler continued. “I’m a competitor. I’m going to go out and make sure I shut them up. You know the Boston fans. That’s how it is. We’re aggressive at home and we’re going to try to get under their skin. They just chose the wrong kid to do it, and also the wrong team”.
Boston’s season has come to an end, while the Yankees will pop the champagne and celebrate in their clubhouse, but not for long. They have miles to go, ready to advance and face another divisional rival, the Blue Jays, in the ALDS that will begin on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
On the 47th anniversary of Bucky Dent’s iconic home run that also sealed a divisional title, Cam Schlittler outdueled Connelly Early in a rookie duel. The flamethrower Schlittler broke the 100-mile mark with his fastball and used his secondary pitches effectively, striking out 12, a franchise record for a rookie in his postseason debut.
The story weighed heavily in the series, especially after the Yankees lost Game 1. They became only the third team to win a Wild Card Series after losing Game 1, joining the 2020 Athletics (against the White Sox) and the 2020 Padres (against the Cardinals).
This was the first time since Aaron Boone’s home run to win the 2003 ALCS that the Yankees end a season for Boston, breaking a streak of three consecutive playoff matchups won by the Red Sox over New York: the 2004 ALCS, the 2018 ALDS, and the 2021 Wild Card Game.
