Electric rookie set to start Game 4 as Yankees stave off Blue Jays

The New York Yankees managed to survive in Game 3 of the ALDS, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6.

After losing back-to-back games against the Blue Jays, the Yankees were able to keep their season alive with their victory Tuesday night. Superstar Aaron Judge tied things up for New York with a three-run home run in the fourth inning, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the team the lead with a solo shot in the next inning.

With Game 4 set for Wednesday, the Yankees will be turning to a familiar face in electric rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler, who will get a chance to save their season again, according to MLB.com’s Jake Rill.

“Most 24-year-old rookie pitchers wouldn’t get an opportunity to take the mound with his team facing elimination in the postseason. Cam Schlittler?” Rill wrote Wednesday. “He’s about to do it for the second time in less than a week. It’s easy to envision Schlittler having a similar type of performance in ALDS Game 4. The 2022 seventh-round Draft pick has rarely struggled since arriving in the big leagues in July.

“One of the only MLB teams that has had success against Schlittler, though, is the Blue Jays, setting up an intriguing matchup for Wednesday. New York manager Aaron Boone believes Schlittler’s abilities to learn from experience and to implement constant tweaks will again put him in a position to succeed.”

Schlittler threw a gem against the Boston Red Sox last week, allowing zero earned runs across eight innings pitched with 12 strikeouts. In 14 starts, Schlittler had a 2.96 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, but the Blue Jays have already gotten the chance to see the 24-year-old pitch, facing him twice in the regular season.

With New York’s entire season riding on this game, the rookie pitcher has the chance play the role of hero again.

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