Schlittler embraces – Cam Schlittler backed up his sharp words at Rogers Centre with an electric seven-inning outing as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-1. Gerrit Cole praised Schlittler’s honesty, describing a rivalry fueled by history, division stakes and mutual respect.
TORONTO — When Gerrit Cole finished hearing the question, he couldn’t stop the grin.
In the Yankees’ visitors’ clubhouse at Rogers Centre after New York’s 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the conversation drifted to the rotation mate riding a wave of confidence: Cam Schlittler.
Cole, the elder statesman of the Yankees pitching staff, pointed to how a player’s personality shows up even when the game is the focus. Schlittler, he said, has a style that’s open, honest and sometimes controversial — and Cole has spoken to him about it before.
“I think that everybody’s their own individual and they have human traits that make them who they are. ” Cole told Sportsnet. “I’ve approached it with him in the past. Like any other thing, let’s just try to make it as efficient as possible. There’s no right or wrong answer. I don’t think anybody’s an expert. I don’t think anybody should be telling anybody what they can or can’t say when it’s their deal.
“But, as we’re constantly trying to improve, let’s make sure we’re just being efficient with what we’re saying,” he continued. “Just find a way to communicate what you want to communicate in the best way to communicate it.”
The rivalry, at least from Schlittler’s side, has never needed much encouragement.
In the lead-up to his start at Rogers Centre on Saturday. Schlittler spoke about Blue Jays fans with the kind of directness that tends to linger after the interview ends. “They’re easy to rage-bait, I think,” Schlittler told MLB.com. “All the stuff last year in the playoffs or whatever it is — they’ve got a whole country behind them. so there’s a lot. They’re passionate about it. You respect them for that, but I don’t really like them. They ended our season last year. I hope everyone’s got that chip on their shoulder.”.
Schlittler’s history with the club has been just as blunt. After a rough start against the Blue Jays last September, he suggested he was tipping his pitches. Then, after a May loss in Yankee Stadium, he said the Blue Jays are a “team that’s gonna BABIP the (expletive) out of you.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider laughed when asked if he’d heard Schlittler’s latest comments leading into Saturday’s contest. “Yeah, I don’t think he likes any opposing fan base,” Schneider quipped in his office prior to the game. “Hey, great. I mean, I think everyone uses things to kind of get themselves going a little bit. And he’s having a hell of a year. But yeah, I mean, great.”.
It wasn’t just talk. Schlittler delivered the best of his five career starts against the Blue Jays.
He allowed just one run — a Kazuma Okamoto solo homer — on six hits over seven frames. He walked four and struck out seven. Even when his “best stuff” wasn’t quite there, Schlittler kept finding ways out of trouble, holding firm through moments that could have flipped the game.
He also kept the spotlight on the Blue Jays’ veteran Kevin Gausman, a matchup that didn’t become a true test until late. Gausman held the Yankees as well as they could reasonably ask: his only hit allowed over seven brilliant frames was a Jasson Dominguez solo homer.
So when both pitchers left with the game tied 1-1, it felt like the night would turn on who could seize the first real opening.
That opening arrived in the ninth inning. Paul Goldschmidt launched a two-run homer off Louis Varland to break the tie, and the Yankees sealed the 3-1 win.
“He grinded his way through seven,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Schlittler. “First and foremost, he is a strike thrower. So, even though he had a handful of walks today, you feel like he can right that ship at any time. He made some big pitches today when he needed to.”
Schlittler didn’t dodge the feeling of the outing, calling it a “grind” and saying he’s been working to correct his mechanics over his past few starts.
Then came the part that made this game feel bigger than one victory: how Schlittler frames what’s brewing between the teams.
Asked about his budding rivalry with the Blue Jays, Schlittler said it comes down to the two clubs being American League East rivals. He also leaned into the idea that the heat has room to grow — without pretending it’s only animosity.
“They got a great club over here,” Schlittler said. “And the way it turned out last year, it gets a little chippy. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect between both sides. The fans clash more than the players do. but they got a great team over here and it feels like they play us really well. when we’re here or back home.
“I think it’ll continue to grow throughout the season.”
For Cole, this wasn’t just another series. He missed the entire 2025 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery and rejoined the Yankees last month. He won’t pitch during this visit to Toronto, but he made clear he’s comfortable stepping back into the intensity.
“It’s a new year and fresh start, but it’s not that you don’t bring the baggage,” Cole said. “You bring a little bit of the baggage with you now. It just adds maybe a little bit more to the series. even though it kind of always has an elevated feel just because it’s a division (matchup) and because the (Blue Jays are) so good on a regular basis. There’s always a little edge when you have some history with the club.”.
Cole also didn’t hold back his admiration for Schlittler’s season so far. As for Schlittler’s numbers, he leads all AL starters with a 1.82 ERA and 3.3 wins above replacement.
Cole said he’s been impressed by the way Schlittler has developed.
“His baseball acumen is really high,” Cole said. “His pitch arsenal is elite, too. So, he combines the two and is relentless with his attacking mindset. He’s in the zone as much as possible with three different weapons and he’s just got good instincts.”
Those instincts — tested and sharpened in a seven-inning display at Rogers Centre — are likely to be part of the soundtrack for the next chapter of the Yankees-Blue Jays rivalry.
MISRYOUM Sports News Yankees Blue Jays Cam Schlittler Gerrit Cole John Schneider Paul Goldschmidt Louis Varland Kazuma Okamoto Jasson Dominguez Kevin Gausman AL East rivalry