Cam Schlittler can't do nothing for the Yankees: They're close to another failure
Aaron Boone turned to his best pitcher, but the Rays accomplished something no other team had managed all season.
The Tampa Bay Rays continue to prove they are no ordinary team, just as they have all season long. After finishing with the best record in the American League (100-62) , they entered Game 2 of the American League Division Series determined to put the New York Yankees on the brink.
And they did it against the pitcher many consider the best in the American League.
Rays hand Cam Schlittler one of his toughest nights
When Yankees sensation Cam Schlittler left the mound, the Rays already held a 3-1 lead.
In 4.1 innings of work, the New York right-hander struck out just two Tampa Bay hitters, the fewest he recorded in any of his 35 starts this season.
It wasn't a coincidence. The Rays finished the 2026 season as the hardest team to strike out in Major League Baseball , but holding Schlittler to only two strikeouts was still something no opponent had managed before.
In his previous outing, against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Series, Schlittler struck out 10 batters in 6.1 innings .
Even in his final regular-season start, which also came against the Rays, he worked only 3.0 innings because the Yankees limited his pitch count, yet he still recorded five strikeouts .
Tampa Bay had already taken Game 1 of the series with a 1-0 victory in which the Yankees managed just one hit, and that lone baserunner was thrown out at third before he could advance any further.
Schlittler looked like New York's best chance to even the series, but the Rays found a way to neutralize the pitcher who had dominated nearly every lineup he faced throughout the season.
Now the Yankees are on the brink. One more loss will end their season and extend their World Series drought, with the franchise still searching for its first championship since 2009 .
