The New York Yankees have already made one of the most important decisions before starting the postseason: Cam Schlittler will receive the ball to open Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox in Yankee Stadium.
Aaron Boone confirmed the election after several days evaluating how to order a rotation that reaches October as one of the team's greatest strengths. Max Fried will be in charge of Game 2, while Gerrit Cole will be prepared to open a possible third and decisive match if the series reaches that point.
The decision places Schlittler directly at the center of a new edition of the historic Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. The right not only comes from completing an extraordinary season, but he already knows what it means to face Boston with the season at stake.
Cam Schlittler receives responsibility for opening the postseason
The Yankees seriously considered using Max Fried in the first match, but eventually decided to start the series with Schlittler, who was the most consistent pitcher in the rotation during the regular season.
The right-hander finished 2026 with a 14-6 record and a 1.95 ERA, a figure that became the third lowest for a Yankees pitcher in a season. His dominance throughout the calendar also placed him among the main candidates for the Cy Young Award in the American League.
Now those numbers are in the background. The responsibility will be different when he climbs the mound on Tuesday night in the Bronx, because a series of Wild Cards to the best of three games leaves very little room to recover from a defeat.
Boone explained that he had previously spoken with Schlittler about the possibility of opening the first game and assured that the pitcher was excited and prepared to receive the ball.
Boston already knows what Schlittler can do in October
The confrontation also has an antecedent that increases the expectation even more.
Schlittler was the protagonist against the Red Sox during the 2025 postseason. In that Wild Card he pitched eight innings without allowing runs and struck out 12 batters in the game that ended up eliminating Boston.
A year later, both teams meet again on the same stage and Schlittler will once again occupy a central role from the beginning of the series.
The right-hander, born in Massachusetts and who grew up following the Red Sox, has been comfortable facing Boston. That connection adds another element to a duel that already carries decades of rivalry.
The Yankees preferred to start with their most dominant arm
The choice was not easy. Fried also presented arguments to receive the ball in the first game and the organization studied the possibility of organizing the rotation thinking not only in Boston, but also in a possible divisional series.
Using Fried first could allow Schlittler to be available earlier in the next round. However, the Yankees ended up prioritizing the series that they have immediately in front of them.
In a short format, winning the first match completely changes the pressure of the series. New York decided to try to do it with the pitcher who ended the season allowing less than two clean runs for every nine innings.
Schlittler will now have the opportunity to give the Yankees that first advantage over a rival he knows well.
Max Fried will go in Game 2 and Gerrit Cole waits for a possible third
The decision on Schlittler also made it possible to define the rest of the rotation for the Wild Card.
Max Fried will open the second game. The left-hander finished the campaign with a 5-5 ERA and a 2.80 ERA, and he already had success against Boston this season, including eight blank innings at Fenway Park during April.
If Yankees and Red Sox split the first two games, Gerrit Cole will be the starter of Game 3. The right-hander finished the regular season with a 10-9 record and a 3.61 ERA.
Carlos Rodón, for his part, can be available as an alternative from the bullpen during this first round while New York also considers the possibility of using him as a starter if he manages to advance to the divisional series.
Schlittler will face Payton Tolle in Game 1
Boston also confirmed his starter for the start of the series. The left-handed Payton Tolle will be in charge of facing the Yankees in the first game.
Tolle finished the season with a 9-6 record and a 3.03 ERA. Your presence will force Boone to think carefully about how to build an lineup that could have a greater number of right hitters.
The Red Sox will use Sonny Gray in the second game and are scheduled to go to Ranger Suárez if the series needs a third game.
The initial duel, therefore, will face two young pitchers in one of the most pressure scenarios in the entire postseason: Yankee Stadium, Yankees against Red Sox and a series in which you only have to get two victories to continue playing.
The Yankees place their season in the hands of Schlittler
The regular season ended with 93 wins for New York, but none of them will have direct importance when the Wild Card starts.
The Yankees are well aware of the nature of these series. A bad game can immediately place the team on the verge of elimination, while an initial victory allows the rest of the round to be faced from a much more favorable position.
That's why Boone's decision has so much weight. After discussing different scenarios, New York chose to start October with the pitcher who was his most dominant arm during 2026.
Schlittler has already shown that he can dominate Boston in an elimination match. Now he will have to do it again, this time with the responsibility of setting the tone from the first release of the postseason.