Sep 13, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) walks off the mound after retiring the side in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Christian Scott picked the worst arm to face in a pitcher’s duel on Sunday at Yankee Stadium because Cam Schlittler’s remarkable run-scoring keeps on rolling.
The Yankees’ right-handed ace was superb once again in a 2-0 victory over the Mets to clinch the rubber game of the weekend’s Subway Series in the Bronx, going six scoreless innings while allowing just a single hit with eight strikeouts and two walks.
With it, he lowered his 2026 ERA to 1.95, which ranks No. 1 in all of Major League Baseball. His season could also be the greatest ever by a Yankees starting pitcher.
As things stand, his ERA ranks seventh-best in franchise history and is the lowest since Ron Guidry’s masterful 1978 season (25-3, 1.74 ERA). His 230 strikeouts are also tied for fourth-most by a Yankees starter, trailing only Guidry (248 in 1978), Gerrit Cole (243 in 2021), and Jack Chesboro (239 in 1904).
His case for the American League Cy Young Award is becoming undeniable. So is one for MVP, according to manager Aaron Boone.
“Valuable is the right word,” Boone said. “He might be the MVP, too.”
Yankees pitching held Mets batters to three hits on the day, which just so happens to be as many hits as the Bronx Bombers mustered. Scott continues to prove that he will be a fixture within the rotation in Queens next year, allowing two runs on three hits with six seven strikeouts and two walks over six innings of work.
He was ultimately undone by the long ball, yielding solo shots to Ben Rice, his 38th of the season, in the first inning, and Austin Wells in the third.
Brett Baty recorded the Mets’ only hit against Schlittler, a fifth-inning double with two outs. It came to nothing when Schlittler coaxed a groundout from Nick Morabito to end the threat.
The Yankees received no help in their attempt to catch the Rays for the top spot in the American League East. The Rays thumped the Houston Astros 14-4 to keep their four-game divisional lead intact.
For more on the Yankees and Cam Schlittler, visit AMNY.com
