Cam Schlittler recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts in six dominating innings for the New York Yankees, who earned a 5-0 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.
The Yankees won for the 16th time in their past 22 games and improved to 10-5 since losing Aaron Judge to a fractured right rib, thanks to Schlittler’s stellar performance.
Winless in his previous three starts, Schlittler (8-3) allowed four hits and walked none. He threw 66 of 96 pitches for strikes.
Schlittler became the first Yankee with 13 strikeouts since teammate Max Fried on Sept. 18, 2025, at Baltimore. Schlittler (25 years, 134 days) also became the youngest Yankee with at least 13 strikeouts since Al Downing fanned 13 as a 22-year-old on June 21, 1964, against the Chicago White Sox.
The right-hander eclipsed his previous regular-season career high of nine strikeouts. Schlittler also had a double-digit strikeout performance when he fanned 12 in eight innings in Game 3 of last year’s wild-card series against Boston.
Schlittler recorded multiple strikeouts in each of the first five innings. He reached double digits by fanning Eugenio Suarez to end the fourth and got his final strikeout by fanning JJ Bleday for the first out of the sixth.
Schlittler opened the game by hitting Blake Dunn with a pitch. Dunn was caught stealing second as Bleday struck out.
He stranded two in the second by fanning Tyler Stephenson and Matt McLain before stranding Dunn at second in the third. He recorded five strikeouts across the fourth and fifth frames before putting two on in the sixth.
Following a mound visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, Schlittler retired Spencer Steer on a groundout before exiting to a standing ovation.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice homered in the second inning off Cincinnati’s Rhett Lowder. Chisholm hit a solo drive into the second deck in right and Rice hit a 433-foot homer, his 21st, to center field for a 4-0 lead.
Anthony Volpe added an RBI single in the eighth.
Jake Bird, Brent Headrick and David Bednar pitched a scoreless inning apiece to complete New York’s eighth shutout.
In his third start following a shoulder injury, Lowder allowed four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Cincinnati lost for the 11th time in 16 games without Elly De La Cruz (strained right hamstring), who started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville Friday.
–Field Level Media
