That was way back in 2003, when the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox in the postseason last time in this century with a legendary walk-off home run from their current manager, Aaron Boone. Then, it took them 21 years, three painful playoff losses, and a kid from the heart of Red Sox Nation to finally break the reverse “Curse of Bambino”.

Cam Schlittler, the hero of Game 3 of the Wild Card series, is a product of Red Sox Nation who grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts, just a short drive from Fenway Park. His family was all die-hard Red Sox fans, and he was even at the parade in 2004 when Boston finally broke the “Curse of the Bambino,” as a 3-year-old kid.

His childhood heroes were Red Sox pitchers like Clay Buchholz and Chris Sale, but everything changed when the Yankees drafted him in 2022. The rookie pitcher declared then that he had successfully converted his entire family of lifelong Red Sox fans into pinstripe supporters. “They’re full Yankee guys now,” Schlittler said. “When they’re here, they’re really prideful about it.” 

And this time, when the moment came, Schlittler didn’t just win, he proved it by ending all debate about where his loyalty lies. And when recently, when an interviewer asked him about the opinion of his Boston-based friends about this recent outing that sent the Red Sox back to Boston, Schlittler said, “I haven’t said anything yet. I’ll make sure they hear it a little bit once I get back on it.” And when asked whether he had any mixed feelings about beating his old hometown team.

“No, not at all,” he said coldly. “No, I’m happy that their season’s done.” The clip went viral, with Fireside Yankees tweeting it with a caption: “DEMON.” The 24-year-old rookie’s performance was equally cold and brutal on the mound, too. 

He completed eight shutout innings, striking out 12 batters with zero walks. The Walpole, MA native threw 75 of 107 pitches for strikes, and his command never dimmed, even after throwing 11 pitches 100 mph or faster in his whole outing. Schlittler completely outdueled Connelly Early by striking out three in the fifth innings when the first and second bases were loaded. The performance left Red Sox manager Alex Cora in awe. “We needed to be perfect tonight, because he was perfect,” Cora said. “The stuff was outstanding… That was electric.” 

His stuff was excellent, but these recent icy comments may have been fueled by more than just rivalry because..

The line was already crossed

In the days leading up to the game, Schlittler’s family was harassed online by some Red Sox fans. The attacks got so bad that his mother had to make her social media private. Schlittler said the fans “crossed the line,” and it made the game personal for him. “I think if it were a different fan base coming at them, I’d probably be a little bit more OK with it,” Schlittler said before the Yankees’ workout at Toronto.  “I think it just being Boston was a little bit more disappointing.”

The 24-year-old later told how it fueled his performance in Game 3. “I’m a competitive player,” Schlittler explained.  “All they’re doing is feeding the fire. Just making sure I’m staying off my phone. I see it. I noticed it the other day. But at the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and lock in even more. So, honestly, I can thank them as well for putting me in that position.”

But tbh, Schlittler is just the latest player to cross the great divide in this historic rivalry, where he joins a long list of legends who have worn both uniforms. From Babe Ruth, whose sale to the Yankees started the “curse,” to stars like Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens. Both Boggs and Clemens were motivated by a deep sense of disrespect from Boston’s front office. Boggs departed after a verbal contract offer was cut off by new ownership following the death of owner Jean Yawkey. And then Dan Duquette once said that Clemens was in the “twilight of his career.”

Coming back to the topic, after his incredible performance, Cam Schlittler and the Yankees have no time to rest as they are now on their way to Toronto to face the No. 1 seed Blue Jays in the ALDS, where Schlittler is expected to make his next start in Game 4 back at home if a Game 4 is required to advance to the ALCS.