The Yankees lost the first game of the Wild Card series, but rallied to win the second and third games to eliminate the Red Sox. In Game 3, New York started rookie Cam Schlittler, who went eight scoreless innings, striking out 12.
Following the game, Judge heaped praise on Schlittler, calling him the team’s secret weapon.
“Impressive, impressive,” Judge said after the game on Thursday. “He’s been our secret weapon ever since he got called up, this guy has been impressive for us. The way he’s handled the strike zone, he can run it to 100 miles per hour, great feel for all of his pitches.
“No moment too big for him, even his debut at Yankee Stadium he was getting a standing ovation coming off the mound,” Judge added. “He was head down, locked in, didn’t even know what was going on. Special player for sure.”
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Schlittler made his Major League Baseball debut on July 9 and, since then, has been an impact starter for the Yankees.
With Gerrit Cole out for the season, the rookie has helped fill the void, and the Walpole, Mass., native has impressed Cole.
“There are different paths to greatness up here, but this guy has come up and delivered right away,” Cole said. “He’s got it. I don’t know exactly what it is, it’s hard to define it. But he’s got it.”
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The Yankees will play the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS. Game 1 is set for Saturday at 4:08 p.m. ET.
