Cam Schlittler Just Did Something a Yankees Pitcher Hasn’t Done Since 1964

Cam Schlittler doesn’t look like a rookie anymore. On Friday night at Yankee Stadium, the 25-year-old right-hander carved up the Cincinnati Reds with a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 5-0 shutout win. And in doing so, he put his name next to some serious franchise history.

Schlittler’s ERA now sits at 1.71 through 16 starts. That’s the lowest mark for a Yankees pitcher at that point in a season since Whitey Ford posted a 1.47 ERA way back in 1964. Not bad company for a guy who wasn’t even on the Opening Day roster two years ago.

How He Did It

Schlittler threw 96 pitches over six scoreless innings. He didn’t walk anybody. He allowed four hits. And he generated 18 whiffs on 49 swings. His fastball averaged 97.9 mph, and he used it — along with a sinker and cutter — to keep Reds hitters guessing all night.

The sinker was the real story. Schlittler threw it 41 times, more than double his usual usage rate. He normally leans on his four-seamer and curveball, but Friday he basically ditched the curve entirely and dared Cincinnati’s lineup to catch up to the heat. They couldn’t.

“He had everything working,” one scout texted after the game. “The sinker was unfair. They had no answer.”

The Reds came in with the worst numbers in baseball against pitches 95 mph or faster — hitting just .194 with a .305 slugging percentage. Schlittler made them look even worse. He struck out batters with his four-seamer (five), his cutter (four) and his sinker (four). They went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Some Context

This wasn’t a one-off. Schlittler has allowed only two runs over his last 18 2/3 innings across three starts. His 1.71 ERA through 16 starts also ranks as the fourth-lowest in MLB history for any qualified starter. And at 25 years and 134 days old, he became the youngest Yankees pitcher since Al Downing in 1964 to record a 13-strikeout, no-walk outing.

He also set a franchise record as the youngest Yankee ever to reach 13 strikeouts without issuing a walk. The previous guy? Not sure. But that’s the kind of thing that gets people talking.

Offense Did Its Job, Too

Jazz Chisholm Jr. returned to the lineup and hit a home run. Ben Rice crushed a three-run blast — his team-leading 21st of the year. That was basically all the support Schlittler needed, though the bullpen (Jake Bird, Brent Headrick, David Bednar) slammed the door for New York’s eighth shutout of the season.

It’s early June, but Schlittler is making a case that goes beyond Rookie of the Year chatter. He’s pitching like an ace on a team that’s stacked with them. And if he keeps this up, the Yankees might have something even scarier than anyone expected.