Yankees' Cam Schlittler dominates Mariners to help close out 5-1 opening road trip
Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler throws against the Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game on Wednesday in Seattle. Credit: AP/Lindsey Wasson
SEATTLE — Wham, bam, thank you, Cam.
Cam Schlittler, whose terrific 14 starts to his career in 2025 had the Yankees and their fans dreaming big for this season, made it two straight dominant starts, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-3 victory over the Mariners on a raw 47-degree afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
Schlittler, who retired the final 15 batters he faced, allowed two hits and struck out seven to help lift the Yankees to a 5-1 start. The 25-year-old struck out eight over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his season debut last Friday in San Francisco.
The Yankees bullpen, which allowed a combined one run over 17 innings the first five games, provided some nervous moments late. Camilo Doval, with a 4-0 lead, loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth. Closer David Bednar allowed a two-run single to Cal Raleigh to make it 4-2 but struck out Julio Rodriguez. After Ben Rice hit his first homer of the season in the top of the ninth, the Mariners got a two-out RBI single in the bottom half from Dominic Canzone to make it 5-3. Bednar, with his 40th pitch of his outing, got Cole Young to fly to right to end it.
Yankees starters have allowed just two runs in six games, the fewest runs allowed by any MLB team’s rotation through its first six games since 1900.
Paul Goldschmidt, getting his first start of the season at first base, hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to make it 4-0. Fernando Cruz retired the last two batters of the seventh before Doval came in and loaded the bases.
Schlittler, still being built up because of a minor lower back issue that slowed him early in the spring, and therefore on a pitch count of 75-80 (he threw 79), had the lead before throwing a pitch. Rice, getting the start at DH and coming off Tuesday’s game in which he went 2-for-2 with two walks, roped a two-out RBI double down the rightfield line to score Cody Bellinger.
After Luke Raley singled with one out in the second, Schlittler did not allow another baserunner.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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