Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler goes viral with brutal 4-word clap back after historic win over Red Sox

New York Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler registered a historic outing in the first postseason start of his career against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday to help the Bronx Bombers book their ALDS ticket.

Schlittler threw eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts against his boyhood team as the Yankees shut out the Red Sox, 4-0, in a decisive Game 3 of the AL Wild Card series.

Following the win, the rookie pitcher has been in the news for his replies to Red Sox fans on social media.

"Drinking dat dirty water," Schlittler in a clapback to Red Sox fans on X.

The reference was to The Standells' song, Dirty Water, which is played after Boston's win.

The Yankees ace grew up as a Boston fan, with his family being Red Sox fans. Ahead of his first start against the Red Sox on Thursday, the Yankees rookie was informed about the abuse his mother received on social media due to his allegiance to the Bronx Bombers.

“Unfortunately, it was brought to my attention,” Schlittler said. “It’s not something you want to deal with before you throw for the biggest start of your life. But I was able to channel that energy and go out there and perform.

"I get it, it’s part of the game. I was just kind of disappointed in the fact that, just being from that area, I wasn’t really expecting it to go that far.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone not concerned about Cam Schlittler's social media activity

Following the win, Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed the backlash his rookie pitcher received on social media. While Boone admitted it could be distracting for a player before such a big game, he wasn't worried about Cam Schlittler’s mindset.

“Cam’s a tough kid, and I know he is going to handle any slings and arrows,” Boone said. “Social media can be an ugly place sometimes, unfortunately. We try to prepare our guys and obviously support our guys in so many different ways, but Cam is broad-shouldered, confident, clear-eyed, and I don’t think he’s going to be affected by much.”

Schittler's record-setting performance has set up an enticing clash between division rivals, the Yankees, and the Toronto Blue Jays, for the ALDS.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash