Cam Schlittler Takes a 108.5 mph Fastball to the Leg and Throws Six Scoreless Innings Anyway

Milwaukee , This is the kind of stuff that separates good pitchers from the ones you build around. Cam Schlittler got drilled by a William Contreras comebacker in the first inning Saturday night at American Family Field, took a 108.5 mph missile off the back of his left calf, and then proceeded to blank the Brewers for six straight innings. Pain and all.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone had already braced his team for a shootout. After watching them get worked by Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski the night before in a 4-3 loss that went 10 innings, Boone knew his counter-punch was ready. "They're going to see one tonight from Cam," he said before the game. What he didn't anticipate was that Schlittler would have to throw it on one working leg.

Took the Hit and Never Flinched

The moment happened early. Contreras rifled a liner right back at the mound, and Schlittler turned away from it. The ball caught him square in the back of his upper calf. He absorbed the full force. The impact was so direct he couldn't even see where the ball ended up at first. Boone and the training staff jogged out immediately. Schlittler's warmup pitches after the hit sailed high, way out of the zone. Everyone watching held their breath. Then he struck out Jake Bauers to end the inning and stayed in the game like nothing happened. Except it absolutely happened.

He was limping to and from the dugout the rest of the night. You could see him bouncing lightly on the mound between pitches just to stay loose. He fell to the side of the mound twice in the third inning and was slow getting back up both times. The bullpen never budged. Nobody was warming up because Schlittler wasn't coming out.

Six Scoreless Innings Despite Everything

Here's the ridiculous part: he pitched through it like a guy who wasn't hurt at all. Six scoreless innings. Six strikeouts. Two hits allowed. His four-seam fastball averaged 98.0 mph, actually up 0.1 from his season average. He threw 97 pitches total, 68 for strikes. His ERA dropped to 1.35. All of it while he could barely stand straight.

That's not toughness. That's a different breed altogether. Schlittler just proved why the Yankees can count on him night after night, no matter what gets in the way.

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