Yankees vs. Red Sox Updates: Phenoms Cam Schlittler, Payton Tolle Locked in Pitcher's Duel
The Yankees (15–9) are flying high with the best record in the American League after taking the first two games of their series against the last-place Red Sox (9–15) in Boston. And with Cam Schlittler set to toe the rubber on Thursday, they'll be feeling confident about securing a sweep.
Schlittler, who grew up in the suburbs of Boston as a Red Sox fan, broke into the national spotlight during the decisive Game 3 of last year's wild-card series between the two historic rivals by shutting out his hometown team through eight innings. He's picked up where he left off so far this season, posting a 2–1 record with a 1.95 ERA and a major-league leading 0.86 FIP and 12.0 K/BB ratio. Unfortunately, in the lead-up to Thursday's game, the 25-year-old has received death threats from Red Sox fans who are upset about his rise with the rival Yankees.
Boston will counter with a young hurler of its own in Payton Tolle, who was recalled from the minors to make his 2026 major-league debut. It'll be just the fourth start in the bigs for the highly touted lefthander, who is ranked by Baseball America and MLB.com as a top-15 prospect.
Follow all the action below as Sports Illustrated MLB editor Will Laws and senior writers Tom Verducci-who's calling the game for Fox-and Ryan Phillips provide their analysis.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees vs. Red Sox Updates: Phenoms Cam Schlittler, Payton Tolle Locked in Pitcher's Duel.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 2:19 PM.