ROOKIE sensation from the New York Yankees, Cam Schlittler, revealed his motivation to beat the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees defeated the Red Sox on Thursday, 4-0, to make it through the first round of the MLB playoffs.
Rookie Cam Schlittler set a New York Yankees record for strikeouts in playoff debuts[/caption]
Schlittler, a Boston local, received a lot of online hate before the game from Red Sox fans[/caption]
Rookie Schlittler set a club record for strikeouts in playoff debuts as he threw eight scoreless innings.
This included 12 strikeouts.
His performance was key in helping his side win the decisive Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series.
However, after the game, he revealed that he received extra motivation from some Boston fans who took to social media to attack the pitcher.
He said, “People from Boston had a lot to say before the game.
“For me, [it was about] being a silent killer, being able to go out there and shut them down.
“I’m from Boston. I didn’t like some of the things they were saying today.
“I was just making sure I was going out there and extra locked in.”
Schlittler didn’t reveal specifics about the messages, but did say it came from fans, not players.
He continued, “I’m not going to get into it. There’s a line I think they crossed a little bit.
“I’m a competitor. I’m going to go out there and make sure I shut them down.
“You know Boston fans. It’s just how it is. We’re aggressive back home, and we’re gonna try and get under peoples’ skin.
“They just picked the wrong guy to do it to – and the wrong team to do it to as well.”
To make it worse, Schlittler is a Boston local.
He grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts, less than an hour from Fenway Park.
The 24-year-old was drafted by New York in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
He spent his first few years in the minor leagues before being promoted to the majors in July.
The Yankees became the first team to lose the series opener and advance from the expanded first round, which began in 2022.
They lost the opening game of the series 3-1, before they won back-to-back games 4-3 and 4-0 to make the next round of the playoffs.
Here, they face the Toronto Blue Jays in a five-match Divisional Series starting on Saturday.
