Cam Schlittler Is 2-0 With a 0.00 ERA and the Yankees Are About to Find Out If It's Real

The New York Yankees have a 25-year-old pitcher who has thrown 11 2/3 scoreless innings to start his first full season, and nobody in baseball should sleep on what Cam Schlittler is building right now. He takes the mound Tuesday night against the Athletics in what could be the moment we all realize the kid is here to stay.

Schlittler emerged last season as a replacement for injured Clarke Schmidt, and he made an immediate impression. His wild-card performance was the kind of stuff that gets replayed in October highlight reels: eight innings, 12 strikeouts, shutout against Boston. Now, in early April, he is picking up right where he left off.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Two Starts, Zero Runs, Zero Walks

In his first outing against San Francisco on March 27, Schlittler allowed one hit and struck out eight across a 3-0 win. Three days later at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, he permitted two hits and struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-3 victory. He has faced 38 batters so far and has yet to walk a single one.

Manager Aaron Boone is already raving about what he is seeing. "It's exciting to see how dominant his stuff is, just filling up the strike zone," Boone said. "He got some early outs and that allowed him to get pretty deep into the game with a pitch count. He's throwing the ball incredibly well. He set the tone for us."

Schlittler is also the first Yankee to open a season with consecutive starts of at least five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts. He is still being built up after missing time with a minor back injury, throwing 68 pitches in his first game and 79 in his second. That workload is only going to increase.

The Yankees Need Schlittler Because Their Bullpen Has Been a Mess

The Yankees are 7-2 to start the season, but their pitching depth is shaky. They survived a short outing from Ryan Weathers and bullpen struggles in a 9-7 win over Miami on Saturday. A day later, they gave up four runs in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss. They need Schlittler to eat innings and keep the pen fresh.

The Athletics are his next opponent, and they come in off a wild three-game series against Houston where they took two of three. Oakland started the season 0-4 but has won three of their last five. Brent Rooker hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning and a game-ending three-run homer in the 10th on Sunday after starting the season 4-for-30. The A's are dangerous right now.

Aaron Civale starts for Oakland with a career record of 1-5 and a 6.35 ERA against the Yankees. They hit .299 in those matchups. This is the kind of matchup where Schlittler can make a statement. Expect him to.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.