Cam Schlittler and Trey Yesavage were central figures in the postseason success the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays enjoyed last season.
Schlittler’s 12-strikeout shutout in Game 3 against the Boston Red Sox in the American League wild-card series sent the Yankees into the Division Series versus the Blue Jays.
Yesavage’s dominance and the Yankees’ inability to hit his splitter in Game 2 set the tone for Toronto dominating the first postseason series between the teams.
Both pitchers are off to strong starts to their first full seasons and will oppose each other for the first time Wednesday night when the Yankees host the Blue Jays.
“Hopefully we’re facing each other for the next X amount of years,” Schlittler said Tuesday. “That’s the situation you want to be in. He’s a good young player. I think it’ll be a fun matchup for both sides.”
The Yankees are 11-1 in their past 12 home games after eking out a 5-4 win Tuesday night. Ben Rice hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning off Dylan Cease, and Camilo Doval escaped trouble in the ninth.
Schlittler (6-1, 1.35 ERA) allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings in a no-decision at Toronto last July 22. On Sept. 5 at home, the right-hander labored through 66 pitches in 1 2/3 innings when he allowed four runs on five hits in a 7-1 loss, and he yielded four runs on eight hits in a 5-2 loss during Game 4 of the ALDS.
In the postseason game, Toronto opened its encounter with Schlitter by getting a double from George Springer and an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Schlitter heads into Wednesday third in the AL with 68 strikeouts behind Cease and Cleveland’s Gavin Williams. He is allowing a league-low .168 batting average and has permitted three hits or fewer in six starts, including Friday’s 5-2 win at the Mets when he allowed one run on two hits with nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
New York is 8-2 in Schlitter’s starts this season after winning nine of his 14 starts last season.
Yesavage made three regular-season appearances to help Toronto hold off the Yankees for the 2025 AL East title. In Toronto’s 13-7 win in Game 2 of the ALDS, he struck out 11 in 5 1/3 hitless innings when 29 of his 78 pitches were splitters.
Yesavage (1-1, 1.40) made six appearances in the postseason as Toronto reached Game 7 of the World Series. Right shoulder impingement delayed his debut this season until April 28, however.
He is allowing a .208 average on his splitter so far and 27 of his 88 pitches in Friday’s no-decision at Detroit were splitters. In that outing, Yesavage allowed two runs on four hits in a season-high six innings before Toronto took a 3-2 loss.
“It’s a new season, they’re a new team and I would say I’m kind of a different pitcher (after) I worked on stuff in the offseason,” Yesavage said Tuesday. “Going against Schlittler, he’s good, and it’s going to be cool to watch him.”
The Blue Jays enter with 10 losses in their past 15 games. Toronto’s past four losses are all by one run, and while the offense totaled 18 hits in the first two games of this series, it also has 20 strikeouts.
Daulton Varsho has been among Toronto’s better hitters of late and is batting .410 (16-for-39) in his past 10 games. Varsho’s surge is occurring as Guerrero is 6-for-40 in his past 11 games and Springer is 8-for-46 in his past 11.
–Field Level Media
