“I take pride in being from Boston. [But] when it came to my career and where I want to be, this is where I want to be,” said Schlittler. “I’m very fortunate for the Yankee organization. If I had to choose between the two, I wouldn’t change [anything].”
After a spectacular rookie year in which Schlittler posted a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts and 73 innings, the righthander will get the ball for New York in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. His current uniform notwithstanding, he’s a model of perseverance and evidence of the viability of a public school path in New England.
Schlittler passed on prep school opportunities so he could remain among his friends in high school. He also liked the coaches at Walpole High.
“I was obviously pretty confident in myself, but I needed to go to college and develop as a player and a person, and I didn’t think I needed to go anywhere else to get that opportunity,” said Schlittler, whose father is the chief of police in Needham.
Faced with the weather-created limitations of playing in New England, the powerful 6-foot-6-inch righthander found ways to work and to improve an arsenal that kept gaining more steam. Schlittler was on the radar of the Yankees and Hyde entering his draft-eligible season in 2022. Hyde met him at the Winning Pitchers Academy, an indoor facility in Framingham, during the offseason. He touched 95 m.p.h., but showed the size for much more.
“It was one of those cold, snowy, January days where it gets dark at about 4 o’clock. Mike Vasil [now a White Sox big leaguer] was there working out. Mike said to me, ‘Man, I think this guy is going to throw 100 some day,’ ” said Hyde. “His poise, demeanor, and presence were so professional. I left there saying, ‘I think he’s going to pitch in the big leagues.’ ”
After a spectacular sophomore year (8-1, 1.88 ERA), an up-and-down junior year on Huntington Avenue (5-8, 3.44) left Schlittler available for the Yankees with the 220th pick. After his first full pro season, the righthander made huge size and strength gains entering 2024 and returned as a monster — a pitcher who could work in the mid-to-high-90s while also featuring a cutter, curveball, and two-seamer. He finished 2024 in Triple A, and was knocking on the door this year.
“He’s one of the many things that have saved our season,” said GM Brian Cashman, noting that the Yankees were “treading water, hoping [starter injuries] didn’t sink us” when Schlittler was called up in early July.
“I had already gotten calls from [Yankees personnel] saying this guy is ready to help you whenever you need it. Unfortunately, we needed it, and those words were prophetic. He stabilized us and allowed us to keep moving forward. It’s been a big impact.”
The Yankees went 9-5 in Schlittler’s starts. He looked and pitched like someone who belonged on the highest stage. And now that he’s being entrusted with a start that has two teams’ seasons on the line, he’s unflinching.
“I definitely embrace the pressure and everything that comes with it, and just knowing how the environment is [in Boston and New York], that’s something that I know I can handle,” said Schlittler.
He will take the mound on Thursday in hopes of pushing the Yankees forward, ending the season of the team he loved as a kid. Yet even as his franchise allegiance has altered, Schlittler looks forward to representing — and capturing — the essence of where he’s from.
“Being from New England, it is different from being down south. You don’t get the full year of baseball,” he said. “The way my college coach would describe it is more of a blue-collar, hard-nosed [style]. That’s how I take myself as a player. The steps I have taken to get here [are] definitely going to define how I go out there and pitch Thursday.”