The New York Yankees are turning to the American League Cy Young favourite to open the latest chapter of baseball's most iconic rivalry.
New York announced Sunday that Cam Schlittler will start Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox, with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole to follow in that order.
The Yankees and Red Sox will open the series on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
This year's matchup marks the second year in a row that the Yankees and Red Sox will square off in the best-of-three series at Yankee Stadium. New York rallied to win Games 2 and 3 in 2025 after dropping the series opener.
Schlittler played a key role in that comeback, striking out 12 over eight scoreless innings in Game 3.
The 25-year-old right-hander built on that breakout performance in 2026, pitching his way into the realm of MLB's elite starters. Over 193.2 innings and 33 starts in the regular season, Schlitter carried a 1.95 ERA while striking out 239 batters. He is set to lead the AL in ERA and fWAR while ranking top-five in strikeouts, WHIP, batting average against, home runs allowed per nine innings and innings pitched.
Fried also pitched in last year's wild-card showdown, working 6.1 scoreless innings of his own in New York's Game 1 loss.
The $218-million southpaw battled injuries throughout the 2026 regular season, and ultimately finished the year with a 2.80 ERA in 112.2 innings.
And finally, Cole will be returning to a post-season mound — should the series reach Game 3 — for the first time since starting Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In his return to regular-season action in 2026, the 36-year-old posted a 3.61 ERA over 127 innings.
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