In the first game of what they hope will be a deeper playoff run than last year, the Boston Red Sox will face the pitcher who ended their 2025 postseason.
All-Star right-hander Cam Schlittler gets the ball for Game 1 of the Wild Card series at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. ET.
Left-hander Max Fried will start Game 2 (8 p.m. ET), with Gerrit Cole up next if a Game 3 is necessary.
Schlittler dominated the Red Sox in his postseason debut and first-ever game against them last fall, blanking them for eight innings in Wild Card Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. The Walpole, Ma. native held Boston to five hits and struck out 12 with nary a walk.
Schlittler has only gotten better since. He’s the favorite to win the American League Cy Young in his first full season in the majors, with an AL-best 1.95 ERA over an MLB-leading 33 starts. He owns a 0.74 ERA and .174 opponent average through four career regular-season starts against the Red Sox, including another dominant eight-inning start in Boston in late April.
Fried, 32, pitched to a 2.80 ERA over 20 starts in an injury-limited regular season campaign.
Cole, 35, began the season on the injured list as he continued rehabbing from March 2025 Tommy John surgery. He returned to the Yankees rotation on May 22, and posted a 3.61 ERA in 22 starts.
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