Cam Schlittler grew up in Boston and now finds himself as the ace of the Boston Red Sox's biggest rival, the New York Yankees.
Schlittler has had an ongoing back-and-forth with Red Sox fans on social media since he made his debut for the Yankees. After his dominant start against the Red Sox in last year's postseason, he got into some heated exchanges online with Red Sox fans. He has embraced the villain role and has pitched himself into the Cy Young Award race.
Schliitler had a rough outing against the Detroit Tigers on June 30, and "Baseball Isn't Dead" cohost Jared Carrabis, a Red Sox fan, said he was regressing. He allowed four unearned runs against the Red Sox on June 25, but is unfazed by anything the Boston fans have to say about him.
"They can say whatever they want,” Schlittler said of Red Sox fans, per The Athletic's Chris Kirschner, “but they’re not really in a position to be talking, considering how the standings are. Whatever they want to say, it’s just kind of useless. It just goes in one ear and out the other.”
The Red Sox are well behind the Yankees in the standings, but that does not mean they won't see them in October. The Red Sox ended the first half on a nine-game winning streak and are 1 1/2 games out of a wild card spot. Schlittler may get another chance to face the Red Sox in a postseason matchup, and will have to hope his words don't come back to bite him.