NEW YORK -- The Yankees found a pair of Red Sox killers in Red Sox country. Cam Schlittler pitched and Ben Rice slugged New York to a Tuesday night win over Boston in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium (NY 9, BOS 0), a dominant start to the three-game first-round playoff set. The Yankees received contributions from other homegrown players, but Schlittler and Rice were the stars.
One more win sends New York to the ALDS. "I'll remember getting a W versus the Red Sox," Rice said after going 4 for 5 with two home runs. "There's nothing better than that.
I'll remember Cam going out there and just being lights out, like he always is. I'll remember the atmosphere. It was just an awesome night.
Great way to kick off the series." Schlittler (Walpole) and Rice (Cohasset) were born and raised in Massachusetts and drafted by the Yankees out of New England colleges. Rice was a 12th-round pick out of Dartmouth in 2021. Schlittler was a seventh-round selection out of Northeastern in 2022.
Matt Hyde, New York's Northeast scout, scouted and originally signed both players. "We have a lot of conversations with Matty Hyde, and I know he's proud of us," Schlittler said after Game 1. "And again, we wouldn't be here without him.
Just to have the confidence of being mid-round guys, having to work a little bit harder to get up here and embrace that together, it's special." The Ivy League ended the 2020 baseball season in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and canceled the 2021 season entirely. Rice played only 30 games in three years at Dartmouth, and instead had to showcase himself in summer leagues and organized workouts. His breakout season came in the minors in 2023, then he leveled up in 2024, and again going into 2025.
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