Unfortunately some notable blow ups in the ALDS against the Blue Jays will be the last taste in our mouths as far as the 2025 season is concerned, but on the whole it was a pretty good one for Yankees
starting pitching.
Max Fried signed with the Yankees and was very good. Carlos Rodón made an All-Star Game appearance. Cam Schlittler debuted and made our mouths water, as far as his future is concerned. Several others chipped in with good performances or good years in a rotation that lost Gerrit Cole before the season ever started.
As we continue our look back on the 2025 season, let’s highlight some of the best starts from Yankees pitching this year, counting down the five best Game Scores from this past season. (An explanation of game score can be found here.)
5th: Clarke Schmidt – 6/12 vs. Orioles, 80
Schmidt is somewhat the forgotten man as far as Yankee pitching is concerned, but getting knocked out of this season and a good chunk of next year due to Tommy John surgery will unfortunately do that. However, when he’s healthy Schmidt is very good, and this start is an example of that.
In one of his final starts before getting TJS, Schmidt held Baltimore hitless over eight innings, allowing just two walks while striking out five. He exited the game with a pitch count over 100, unlikely to finish the game. The bullpen unfortunately couldn’t keep the no-no going.
T-3rd: Carlos Rodón – 7/11 vs. Cubs, 81
We do have a tie for third with two starts, and Rodón’s best of the year is one of them. The 2025 season was a bit of a bounceback year for Rodón, as he made the AL All-Star team after a couple up and down years to start his Yankee tenure.
Going deep into games can sometimes be a bit of an issue for Rodón, but that was not remotely the case in this particular game. Against the Cubs, he went eight frames, keeping Chicago off the board despite four hits and a walk. Those eight innings are a best for him in a Yankee uniform, and the 109 pitches was just one off his highest total in pinstripes.
T-3rd: Cam Schlittler – 9/27 vs. Orioles, 81
Going into his final start of the regular season, you might’ve suspected that Schlitter would get the nod over Will Warren for a spot in the playoff rotation, but a bad start could’ve swayed the Yankees’ minds considering that Schlittler is only a rookie. However, a must win game with AL East hopes still on the line was a nice test, and Schlittler passed with flying colors.
Allowing just two hits and a walk in seven shutout innings, Schlittler struck out nine batters. On its own, this performance was excellent, but it ended up only being a appetizer as far as the Yankees’ rookie starter was concerned.
2nd: Max Fried – 9/18 vs. Orioles, 83
Other than a blip in the summer that coincided with some issues with blisters, Fried had an excellent first season as a member of the Yankees. There’s a couple starts that might come to mind, but his best by game score was a September one against the Orioles.
With the Yankees still battling for the AL East crown, they needed all the wins they could get. Fried got them on this day. In seven scoreless innings, Fried gave up just three hits and a walk. He also notably struck out 13, which matched his previous career-high for a game.
1st: Cam Schlittler – 10/2 vs. Red Sox (ALWCS Game 3), 84
It’s not always that the most memorable game of the season ends up being the best just raw statistically, but that is the case here. With the Yankees needing a win to keep their season alive in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, they sent a Massachusetts native to the mound, and he delivered with one of the most fun Yankee pitching performances in years.
With some added motivation, Schlittler went eight scoreless innings, striking out 12 Red Sox batters while scattering just five hits and no walks. Needing to hold on the win to advance, Aaron Boone elected to go with David Bednar to not tempt things, but Schlittler absolutely looked like he could’ve breezed through the last three outs as well. The Yankees absolutely would’ve taken five or six pretty good innings out of him, but instead they got eight utterly dominant ones. Not only was this the best game score of the season, but it went down as the ninth best in Yankees postseason history, which includes a lot of games! It was the kind of start that has you dreaming for the future.
