Leadership is often quiet from Aaron Judge, but sometimes it’s loud and clear when it matters most. The Yankees entered a must-win game after cutting Toronto’s lead for the division title on September 27 and delivered a decisive 6-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Ryan McMahon homered early in the game, with Judge’s 53rd long ball of the year marking his big league record 20th first-inning home run in a season. Even Stanton passed Carl Yastrzemski with his 453rd career shot. But who delivered the masterful performance of the day? Yeah, it’s a 24-year-old rookie Cam Schlittler.

Schlittler was simply untouchable for seven scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out a career-high nine batters in the most important start of his career since his promotion to the majors in July. After the game, he was asked if he felt the weight of the moment. “No, I mean, obviously, I knew the situation, you know, after yesterday and coming in today and, you know, there’s a little bit of pressure there,” Schlittler said. “But you know, that’s something I enjoy and something I want to pitch through.”

It was a confident admission from a pitcher who has thrown only 73 innings in the league so far across 14 starts, posting a 4-3 record with 84 strikeouts and a 2.96 ERA this season. So, when reporters later asked Aaron Judge about his confidence in the rookie, Judge said, “Oof, I love it. I love it. He’s been impressive all year since he came up. Besides the arsenal he has, just each start, he’s becoming a better and better pitcher. You know, reading swings, knowing what to throw. The chemistry he has with Wells and Vinnie right now is just, it’s elite. So it’s fun to watch, fun to see him go out there and compete.”

And Judge was right. Schlittler has been a completely different pitcher since his September 5 outing against the Blue Jays, where he lasted only 1.2 innings while allowing 4 runs on 5 hits. And Judge, who had a rough rookie season back in 2016—42 strikeouts in only 84 at-bats with a .179 Batting average, knows those ups and downs very well.

Coming back to the present, Judge is having another monstrous year, slashing .331/.458/.691 with an OPS of 1.149. And the Yankees’ comeback story from their midseason slump was dependent on more arms beyond Schlittler.

Beyond Cam Schlittler, the arms behind the surge

Max Fried has been a true ace in his first year in New York with an incredible 19-5 record and a 2.86 ERA. Beside him, Carlos Rodón has enjoyed a bounce-back season, posting an 18-9 record with a 3.09 ERA and over 200 strikeouts. Behind them, the young arms have stepped up brilliantly. Luis Gil has been solid since returning from a lat strain, posting a 4-1 record with a respectable 3.29 ERA. Fellow right-hander Will Warren, though, struggled but made numerous starts, finishing 9-8 with a 4.44 ERA over 162 innings.

This depth was very important, especially considering the team lost ace Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt to season-ending surgeries early on. And it wasn’t just Cole or Schmidt.

During Saturday’s win, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. had to leave the game after being hit on the forearm by a 96.8 mph pitch from Grant Wolfram in the fifth. Thankfully for the Yankees and their fans, both X-rays and a subsequent CT scan came back clean, and the team considers him day-to-day with soreness. Plus, reliever Brent Headrick is also expected to be activated soon, and that will surely help the bullpen.

And what a push it has been. The Yankees have been baseball’s hottest team, erasing a five-game deficit to Toronto since September 17. Now, as the Blue Jays also won their last game against the Rays, it all comes down to the final day of the regular season. No one could’ve predicted such a thriller at the start of the season. How can you say baseball isn’t interesting?