“Red Sox don’t convert to Yankees” - Fans push back on Cam Schlittler’s claim of flipping family allegiance from Boston to New York

Can Schlittler will start against the Boston Red Sox in the decider of the American League Wild Card Series on Wednesday. He will face fellow rookie Connelly Early as the third-youngest starter duo in win-or-go-home games in MLB history.

While Cam Schlittler is a proud member of the Yankees organization, he grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts, a 36-minute drive from Boston. As expected, he grew up as a Red Sox fan, but after getting drafted to the Yankees in 2022, he switched allegiances. The 24-year-old, ahead of the game, also claimed to have changed his family's loyalty.

“I would say so,” Schlittler said. “Growing up in Boston, I take pride in being from Boston. When it comes to my career and where I wanted to be, this is where I wanted to be. [My family], they are full Yankee guys now. They don't wear [Yankees gear] around as much in Boston just because. But when they are here, they are very prideful about it.”

Fans on social media were having none of it as they didn't believe Schlittler's family were die-hard fans to begin with. Here are a few reactions.

"This is literally impossible. RedSox fans don’t convert to Yankees fans. They may root for him individually but the moment he leaves the room their Red Sox gear goes back on," a fan wrote.

DR

@DanielRuggier18

@snyyankees This is literally impossible. @RedSox fans don’t convert to Yankees fans. They may root for him individually but the moment he leaves the room their Red Sox gear goes back on

"It’s literally impossible to stop being a Red Sox fan. Family or not," another fan wrote.

Mags

@maggiebotch

@snyyankees It’s literally impossible to stop being a Red Sox fan. Family or not. lol

"Zero chance. They aren’t from Boston if this is true. They might want him personally to succeed but if they are from Boston and don’t hate the Yankees then they never really cared about baseball," a fan commented.

Dorvid

@DorvidGoldy

@snyyankees Zero chance. They aren’t from Boston if this is true. They might want him personally to succeed but if they are from Boston and don’t hate the Yankees then they never really cared about baseball.

"So then they weren't real Sox fans," a fan simply said.

Elits21

@elits02

@snyyankees @SNYtv So then they weren't real Sox fans

"A true Red Sox fan would never become a Yankees fan," a fan opined.

WDD

@matee12345716

@snyyankees A true red sox fan would never become a Yankees fan.

"Sure. Dude is going to make his family change Fandom every 2 years," a fan tried to troll.

Paul

@paul44283360

@snyyankees Sure. Dude is going to make his family change Fandom every 2 years.

Cam Schlittler pitched to a 4-3 record with a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts with the Yankees since making his debut on July 9. He worked himself into the rotation after pitching to a 1.60 ERA in August. Despite only a decent month of September, Schlittler pitched 7.0 scoreless innings in his last outing against the Baltimore Orioles.

Aaron Boone instills faith in Cam Schlittler ahead of Red Sox clash

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has fully backed Cam Schlittler and his ability to make an impact in the decider at home.

“I’ve been super-impressed,” Boone said ahead of the game. “He seems to have that good ‘it’ quality about him, where he does have a lot of confidence, but a lot of self-awareness, too.

"He’s real accountable — wants to keep getting better and kind of move that needle. The timing of him coming up ... rearning his way up here and then really giving us a good shot in the arm in the rotation, that was big.”

Early and Schlittler's pitching duel may well decide the course of the game. In experience, they are the total opposite of the Max Fried-Garrett Crochet duel of the opener, but would hope for a similar strong performance.