The New York Yankees Wild Card Series would not have gone this smoothly without Cam Schlittler in Game 1. The Yankees know that, and so does the New York Knicks’ shooting guard, Josh Hart. A huge fan of the Bronx Bombers, Hart is also a devout Christian. During a recent interview, he combined the two to praise the Yankees’ 25-year-old starting pitcher, who is the favorite to win this year’s AL Cy Young Award.

“I’m very religious,” said Josh Hart, per the SNY Yankees. “I know Jesus is at God’s right hand, but Cam Schlittler might be at his left.”

Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, not far from Boston, Cam Schlittler can easily be considered the Red Sox’s latest threat. After decimating the Red Sox in the 2025 Wild Card Series as a rookie, Schlittler crushed them again in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series this year.

As the Yankees shut out the Red Sox 9-0 in the series opener, Schlittler threw 6.1 scoreless innings. He allowed only 2 hits and struck out 10. Schlittler threw 117 pitches on Tuesday. It is the highest by a Yankees starter in the postseason since CC Sabathia threw 121 pitches in the 2012 ALDS. His latest start was as impressive as his 8-inning, 12-strikeout gem against the Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2025 ALWCS. Manager Aaron Boone also praised him for his impressive start.

“Awesome. He was great,” Boone said, per MLB Network. “The only thing was, obviously, a higher pitch count. They made them work a little bit there in the first inning…but he was terrific.”

Regardless of Hart’s comparison to God’s left hand, Schlittler is surely carving his place beside the legends of the game. With his latest start, Schlittler joined an elite group of five aces in MLB history. Apart from Justin Verlander, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, and Cliff Lee, Schlittler became the sixth pitcher to record at least two scoreless playoff starts with 10 strikeouts. Verlander did it three times, while Koufax, Johnson, Brown, and Lee have done it twice, per SNY.

“It’s very well known that if you want to be a legend, which is obviously the goal, you’ve got to do it in the postseason,” said Schlittler, per SNY. “Go out there and have dominant starts and put the team in the position to win.”

While Schlittler held back the Red Sox batters, the Yankees lineup provided him with run support. Austin Wells took an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single off Payton Tolle in the second inning. Following Tolle’s exit after 4.2 innings, Ben Rice launched a solo homer off Erik Miller. The Red Sox bullpen could not stop the Yankees. Rice drove in a run in the seventh inning, and the Yankees scored another run on a double play. To conclude their attack, the Yankees scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, including Ben Rice’s grand slam.

After Game 1, the Yankees dominated the Red Sox again in the second game of the series, winning 9-2. With a series sweep at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees eliminated the Red Sox from the postseason and advanced to the ALDS. They will play the AL East toppers, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees will visit Florida, as Games 1 and 2 are scheduled at Tropicana Field. While the Yankees are undecided on their Game 1 starter, debating between Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler will take the mound in Game 2.

In five career starts against the Rays, Schlittler has logged a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings. He has allowed 9 runs on 22 hits and struck out 34. Notably, Schlittler posted an incredible 1.16 ERA in away games compared to his 2.98 ERA in home games. He has also not allowed more than one earned run throughout September. The Yankees will bank on him for another incredible start to lift them to the ALCS.