Schlittler leads Yankees past Red Sox to ALDS against Blue Jays

Cam Schlittler dazzled in Thursday's wild-card decider, striking out 12 and throwing eight shutout innings as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-0 to advance from the American League Wild Card Series. The 6-foot-6 rookie, a Walpole, Massachusetts native who grew up a Red Sox fan, touched 100.8 miles per hour and issued no walks in a performance that helped send the Yankees to the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Schlittler's outing was notable not only for its dominance but also for its place in postseason history. No pitcher had previously thrown eight or more innings with at least 12 strikeouts, zero runs allowed and zero walks in a playoff game. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, praising the rookie after the game, said simply, "He's got it," a sentiment echoed by other teammates.

The celebration was short-lived. New York opened the ALDS in Toronto with a 10-1 loss in Game 1, then followed with a heavy defeat in Game 2, leaving the Yankees down two games in the best-of-five series. Toronto's lineup produced 23 runs through the first two games, the most scored by a team in a postseason's opening pair of contests in major league history, placing...