Boston Red Sox supporters aren't the only fans Cam Schlittler likes to get under the skin of.
In preparation for his expected start in Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Monday, Schlittler was asked Saturday about taking the mound at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays. Normally, a road playoff game means buckling down in the belly of the best. Schlittler didn't sound like he was expecting that sort of hostile environment, though.
He seemed to anticipate the surroundings to be downright friendly.
"I wouldn't say there's really too much of an away crowd here," Schlittler said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch on X. "I expect there to be a lot of Yankees fans. In some ways, you are, to an extent, kind of playing at home. I feel like the guys are excited to have that atmosphere here."
Schlittler's words won't be popular, but he's not entirely wrong.
Tampa has long been a hotbed of Yankees support, not only due to snowbirds and retirees from the New York region but also because former owner George Steinbrenner made the area his second home. The Yankees host spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field, home of their Single-A affiliate Tampa Tarpons.
The Rays have long battled the national perception that their market is indifferent to the team. In reality, TV viewership for Rays games is relatively strong. Attendance to Tropicana Field, by contrast, is dismal due to the ballpark's terrible geographic placement deep in St. Petersburg that makes it nearly inaccessible from the major population center in Tampa.
If the Rays can ever get their crowd fully behind them, though, the field's dome amplifies sound to create an echo chamber of cheers. It's up to the team to give fans reason to turn the Trop into a house of horrors or just Yankee Stadium South.