Cam Schlittler = Ace. Wins Duel vs Payton Tolle. NY 4 Boston 2

April 24, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Cam Schlittler pitched 8 innings of 4-hit ball, striking out 5, walking 1, and allowing 1 earned run.

Cam Schlittler didn’t have his best stuff — and in fact the Red Sox got to him for a 1-0 lead in the 2nd, and a 2-1 lead in the 5th.

Meanwhile the Yankees were being shut down by Boston’s young 6’6 lefty strikeout phenom, 23-year-old Payton Tolle — with his 3/4 delivery and 98-101 MPH moving heat.

A pitcher’s duel.

But the Yankees put 3 runs on the board in the 7th against the Red Sox bullpen, and you turned around and Schlittler had thrown a masterful 8 innings of 4-hit ball, striking out 5, walking 1, and allowing only the 2 runs — one unearned — for a 4-2 Yankee win on a Thursday night at Fenway.

Cam Schlittler = Ace.

And winner of the pitcher’s duel.

NY’s runs came on a solo HR by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the top of the 5th, and 3 runs on 5 singles in the top of the 7th.

David Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 shutout 9th for another non-agita save, as the Yankees swept the 3-game series in Fenway — by scores of 4-0, 4-1, and 4-2.

“I didn’t have my best stuff today; definitely a grind,” said Cam afterwards. “The boys picked me up. Just had to put pieces together and keep trying to have quality innings.”

NY improves to 16-9, the best record in the AL and in 1st in the AL East by 2.5 games over Tampa. Boston falls to 9-16.

1. Schlittler = Ace

Cam Schlittler grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts and was a Red Sox fan dreaming to one day pitch at Fenway Park.

He got his wish in this game — his first game on the hill as a Major Leaguer in Fenway — and had a ton of family and friends watching.

He didn’t have his best stuff from the start, but as Ace’s do — still managed to throw down a magnificent performance: 8 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs — only 1 earned, with 5 K’s and 1 walk.

Schlittler pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 1st — 3 straight groundouts — but allowed a run in the 2nd off a 1-out walk to Wilyer Abreu (who was thankfully thrown out trying to steal 2nd by Austin Wells), an error by Amed Rosario at 3rd, and an RBI double by Marcelo Mayer for a 1-0 Boston lead.

Schlittler is so good that when he is losing in a game it is startling!

NY tied the score on a Jazz Chisholm HR in the top of the 5th — but Schlittler gave the lead back in the bottom of the 5th on a 2-out HR by former Yankee Carlos Narvaez.

And so Schlittler was down again, 2-1.

But he blew thru a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th on 6 pitches (pop out, fly out, fly out), and after NY put 3 runs on the board in the top of the 7th, Schlittler pitched a shutout 7th (leadoff single by Abreu erased on a double play) and a 1-2-3 8th inning — striking out the last 2 batters he faced.

Schlittler left with a 4-2 lead and got the win to go 3-1 1.77.

2. Tolle Terrific

The Red Sox started 23-year-old, 6’6 lefty Payton Tolle — an elite rookie who is currently ranked the #15 overall prospect in MLB. He has a 3/4 delivery and is known to have a high-spin, 98-101 MPH fastball that moves. He accompanies that with a mid-80’s slider and a changeup.

Tolle stiffled the Yankees through the first 4 innings — striking out the side in the 1st, striking out the first 2 batters of the 2nd, and striking out the 1st batter of the 3rd — and throwing a perfect game into the 4th.

NY finally pressured him in the 4th — a leadoff single by Amed Rosario to break up the Perfect Game, a walk by Aaron Judge, and a single to left by Ben Rice loaded the bases with nobody out.

But Tolle is tough — he struck out Giancarlo Stanton, got Randal Grichuk to fly out, and struck out Trent Grisham looking to end the threat and keep the score 1-0 Boston.

3. Jazz HR Ties Game 1-1 in Top of 5th

But Jazz Chisholm Jr. clipped Tolle for a HR to right leading off the 5th — hitting a first-pitch, 94-MPH fastball 333 feet into the right-field porch and tying the game 1-1.

Yankee players rooted Jazz on, during his run around the bases.

4. Pitcher’s Duel

Tolle retired the next 9 in a row after Jazz’s HR in the 5th — striking out 1 more in the 5th, and 2 more in the 6th (Judge and Stanton). He left after 6 innings and 93 pitches, leading 2-1. His line: 6 IP, 3 Hits, 1 run, 11 K’s, 1 walk.

5. Bellinger & Judge Clutch Hits Help NY Score 3 in 7th on 5 Singles

The Red Sox brought in 5’10, 36-year-old lefty Danny Coulombe for the 7th and the Yankees POUNCED.

Coulombe struck out Grichuk to start the inning, but Trent Grisham singled to left, Jazz Chisholm singled to center, and Jose Caballero singled to center to load the bases with 1 out.

Coulombe struck out Austin Wells for the 2nd out — and the Yanks were threatening to waste another bases loaded opporunity like they had in the 2nd inning.

But Boston relieved the lefty Coulombe because righty Amed Rosario was coming up — bringing in former Yankee Greg Weissert. NY countered by pinch-hitting lefty Cody Bellinger — who was sitting out for a day of rest.

Bellinger came up with the big hit of the game — flaring a 2-out single to leftcenter that plated 2 runs for a 3-2 Yankee lead.

Aaron Judge then singled to right — and rightfielder Wilyer Abreu booted the ball, allowing Jose Caballero to score to make it a 4-2 Yankee lead.

6. Bednar Another Non-Agita Save

And that was all the Yankees needed. Schlittler threw down a shutout 7th and 8th, NY threatened but didn’t score in the 8th (single by Ryan McMahon and 2-out double by Caballero), and so it went to the 9th with NY up 4-2.

And David Bednar — Ace Reliever — came in and got groundout, popout, and groundout for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401815059

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