Cam Schlittler shut down the Reds for six innings

Without making a big deal of it, Cam Schlittler is carving out a place for himself among Major League Baseball's top pitchers. Along the way, he's putting himself in the running for an invitation to the next All-Star Game, which will be held this year in Philadelphia.

Yesterday, against the Cincinnati Reds, the tall right-hander for the New York Yankees shone in his team's easy 5-0 win. Over six innings of work, he struck out 13 batters.

Schlittler (8-3) kept opposing batters off balance for much of the evening.

By shutting out the Reds yesterday, the Yankees pitcher lowered his earned run average to 1.71, placing him second in the majors in that category. Only Jacob Misiorowski has a better ERA this season, at 1.45.

In 2026, three pitchers have an ERA below 2.00. Cristopher Sanchez (1.82) rounds out the trio.

Aaron Boone pulled his starter from the game because he had already thrown 96 pitches after six innings.

At 25, Schlittler became the youngest pitcher in club history to retire at least 13 batters while not allowing a single walk.

Historically speaking, he also became the first Yankees pitcher since Whitey Ford to post such a low earned run average after his first 16 starts of the season. After his first 16 starts in 1964, Ford had a 1.47 ERA.

In addition to making his mark with 13 strikeouts, Schlittler allowed just four hits on his way to his eighth win of the season.

On offense, Schlittler received support from Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr., who propelled the Yankees to a 4-0 lead in the second inning with home runs off Reds starter Rhett Lowder. That was all the relief pitchers called upon by manager Boone needed: they dominated, preventing the Reds from scoring.

Speaking of Rice, his three-run homer yesterday marked his 21st of the season. At this pace, he's on track to improve upon his offensive stats from last season. In 2025, he hit 26 home runs and drove in 65 runs, whereas he already has 49 after yesterday's game.

At 27, Rice has become a mainstay in New York, despite having played only 256 games. He is definitely destined for a very successful career in the Bronx. In addition to his power, Rice is batting .294. He ranks 14th in the majors in that category, tied with Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals) and Ernie Clement (Blue Jays).

Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice represent both the present and the future of the New York Yankees, and their current contributions have helped the team build a three-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays at the top of the American League East division.

• Shohei Ohtani is about to become a father for the second time.

• Tarik Skubal was agitated yesterday.

• Bobby Witt Jr.: His injury isn't too serious.

• The Mariners' top prospect hasn't allowed a run in over a month.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.