PHOENIX — It was more than an hour since New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler threw a pitch Saturday evening, and he was still upset with himself.
He had another strong performance in the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, one that just about every starter in baseball would take − but they’re not Schlittler.
They’re not demanding perfection.
They’re not having one of the greatest seasons in baseball history.
So, when you give up just three hits and one earned run in six innings, it’s not good enough.
Not when you’re cruising to the Cy Young award with a 14-6 record and 1.94 ERA, yielding no more than one earned run in 22 of 32 starts, the best mark in Yankees history.
The 24-year-old has looked like Bob Gibson on the road, yielding an insane
1.16 ERA, the third-lowest in MLB history in a pitcher’s first 17 road starts. The only pitchers with a lower road ERA are Gibson in 1968 and Claude Hendrix in 1914.
Still, Schlittler didn’t care about any of that. All he knows is that the Yankees lost on Pavin Smith’s pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning, and he blamed himself.
On the day the @Dbacks celebrate the 2001 World Series Champions, they walk-off the Yankees! pic.twitter.com/8iwz678wHU
— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2026
He was livid that he couldn’t field a bunt in the fifth inning by Tim Tawa, and paid the price by giving up a two-run triple to Jordan Lawlar, with both runs unearned, coughing up a 2-1 lead. And after the Yankees took a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth, he ran into control problems, throwing eight consecutive balls, and gave the lead right back, 3-3.
His night was over after six innings.
And, for the first time since Aug. 3, he gave up more than one run in a game, even though two of the runs were unearned.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say I really gave them a chance,’’ Schlittler said. “That one’s kind of on me, so I’ll take the blame for that. Made an error there, let up two runs.
“I mean, that’s baseball, but yeah, that one’s on me.’’
The loss all but mathematically eliminates the Yankees’ hopes of catching the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead, even with a four-game series scheduled next week at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees (89-65) are five games back with just seven games remaining, with the Rays’ magic number dropping to 4.
“I mean, there’s still a chance,’’ Schlittler said, “but we got to play our (butts) off a little bit.’’
The reality is that the Yankees would have to sweep the Rays, needing to win all four games to win the tiebreaker, and still would need help.
“Mathematically, probably pretty tough,’’ Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger said, “but you never know. … I mean, they’re playing tremendous baseball so it’s tough to climb up in the standings if they keep winning, right?
“So, mathematically, pretty tough, but got to keep on rolling.’’
The Yankees realize winning the AL East certainly has an inherent advantage with a first-round bye, which would give slugger Aaron Judge four more recovery days. But if they’re going to win their first World Series since 2009, they’re going to have to do it the hard way.
“The goal is obviously to win the division, rest your guys, get those extra off-days,’’ Bellinger said. “But ultimately, the World Series champion has come out of the wild card, so keep on fighting for the division, and we got to keep on rolling.’’
While the Yankees know it’s unrealistic to believe they can still win the division, they can at least start thinking about setting up their rotation for the postseason.
They can have Schlittler make one more start, perhaps even limit his innings, making sure he’s plenty rested, knowing that if they’re going to be playing deep into October, they’ll need to jump on his shoulders. He’ll be starting Game 1 of the postseason for them, being only the ninth pitcher in the 21st century to complete a season with a sub-2.00 ERA.
The Cy Young award belongs to him.
But he wants a World Series ring to go along with that hardware.
“The expectation is to make the playoffs,’’ Schlittler says, “and the expectation is to win a championship. That’s what I care about.’’
The Yankees know he’s special, putting on the greatest season by a Yankees pitcher since Ron Guidry in 1978, and know that when he takes the mound in October, he fully expects to win.
“He's a healthy combination between mature and immature,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I say that affectionately because look, he's really confident (in) what he does, which is a critical component to playing this game at this level. But he also doesn't take himself too seriously.
“I think he has a really good way of not being overwhelmed by really good results, which obviously he's had a lot of. Or even the moments and times where he struggled, he processes it real well, kind of matter-of-fact, and moves on.’’
The reality now is that the Yankees will be a wild-card team, and will host the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three series at Yankee Stadium.
They also will have the greatest pitcher in the American League at their disposal.
“I’ll be ready,’’ Schlittler says.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cam Schlittler laments what he couldn't do for Yankees with AL East hopes slipping away
