The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will face off on Tuesday, and Cam Schlittler will take the mound for the Yankees.
It's no surprise that Schlittler is on the mound for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, as he is the favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award. The rivalry is alive and well, and Schlittler's ongoing feud with the Red Sox's fan base is a big reason why these games will be so entertaining.
Schlittler is from the Boston area, but his loyalties no longer lie with the Red Sox. He got into a feud with fans online after last year's Wild Card series. He has not held back on them ever since, and this week is no different. Red Sox fans are already going after Schlittler on social media, but he thinks they should know better by now.
"(You’d) think after last time, how much they were talking before, that they might be trying to quiet it down a little bit,” Schlittler said, per The Athletic's Brendan Kuty.
Last year, Schlittler said he received threats after trashing the Red Sox fans online and dominating them in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. However, he understands that he cannot control that, and that the back-and-forth is something he needs to deal with.
"I leave my comments on,” he said. “I let people say whatever they want to say in there. I don’t hide any of that.”
“I kind of started all of that in the postseason last year,” he added, “so I’m willing to take that heat. That’s part of the game and it’s something I don’t mind dealing with.”
Schlittler has a 0.74 ERA in his four starts against the Red Sox this year. He will be looking to dominate against them one more time and give his team a 1-0 series lead.