New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler is set to start the wild-card series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. This has shifted focus from his on-field excellence to his off-field activities.

This season, Schlittler has excelled with a 1.95 ERA, achieving 239 strikeouts and only 49 walks. He is in a strong position for the 2026 American League Cy Young Award. His impressive rookie season included standout playoff performances against Boston and Toronto. He pitched 8.0 innings with zero earned runs against Boston and 6.1 innings with two earned runs against Toronto.

Interestingly, Schlittler grew up as a fan of the Red Sox, his current rival, in Walpole, Massachusetts. This has led to interactions with rival fans that have become awkward. His career has also seen him engage on social media, addressing negative comments. Schlittler often interacts before retreating as if he’s being victimized. Notably, he deleted a post where he criticized a female Red Sox podcast member, and he engaged in lengthy exchanges with another female Red Sox fan about his performance.

Yankees’ director of organizational performance, Chad Bohling, has shown Schlittler videos of people criticizing him. Despite these incidents, Schlittler plans to stop engaging on social media. He told Brendan Kuty from The Athletic, “There’s no reason to get involved with those people on social media, right now at least. They use me for clicks or whatever it is, and I feel like I’ve done a good job of handling that so far.” Schlittler added, “At the end of the day, when I get prepared for whatever day I start, it’s not what I’m going to be thinking about.”

It is uncertain if these resolutions will hold, but the outcome will be observed after Tuesday’s Game 1 at Yankee Stadium.