NEW YORK – Cam Schlittler has never hidden his affinity for "Star Wars." With Players’ Weekend inviting Major League Baseball to flash personality, the young Yankees right-hander couldn’t choose: His cleats honored both the Light Side and the Dark Side.
Then, he went out and showed why the Force is strong for one of the American League’s leading Cy Young Award candidates.
Even without his sharpest stuff, Schlittler limited the Blue Jays to one run over six innings during New York's 3-1 win on Friday evening at Yankee Stadium.
“Growing up, you always want to be toward the Light Side,” Schlittler said. “As you get older, you understand how the world works and how things are. You gain a little bit more sympathy for the Dark Side. I feel like it’s a good balance of where I’m at as a player, both on and off the field.”
The Yankees have won five straight games and seven of 10, closing to within three games of the division-leading Rays in the American League East standings.
“It’s wide open,” Schlittler said. “I think we’ve still got a lot of opportunities to win the division this year, so we’ve got to chase those goals. Regardless of how the other teams are playing, I think we need to step up.”
Toronto didn’t make it easy. Facing the Blue Jays for the second time in as many starts, Schlittler battled a lineup that frequently spoiled pitches and extended at-bats, frustrating the hurler at times.
“He kind of struggled tonight, frankly,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The fifth and sixth might have been his best innings. He struggled to get in a rhythm, but he didn’t break. He made some big pitches when he needed to. Anytime he was backed into a corner, the best of the night came out.”
That’s how Schlittler improved to 11-6 with a 2.16 ERA – doing so while sporting custom Adidas spikes featuring Darth Vader on his left foot and Jedi on the right. He can’t remember a time when he wasn’t entranced by the “Star Wars” universe, a passion he shares with his father, John.
“It’s my favorite,” Schlittler said. “You obviously start at the beginning with the O.G. ones, and when I was born, the prequels were coming out. I’ve seen anything you could think of when it comes to Star Wars. It’s a huge part of my personality.”
Though Schlittler’s workload climbed quickly, he departed having been touched only by Alejandro Kirk’s fifth-inning RBI single. Schlittler scattered six hits in a 96-pitch effort (59 for strikes).
“He’s tough, right?” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “It’s tough to generate extra-base hits. We were 1-for-14 with guys in scoring position. He’s one of the best pitchers in the league. He leaned into the four-seamer with guys at third, it looked like, and it was tough for us. We definitely had our chances.”
Spencer Jones provided early support by flashing his light-tower power, forcing everyone to crane necks skyward to track his second-inning drive off Spencer Arrighetti.
With a 43-degree launch angle, Jones’ Statcast-projected 385-foot drive soared close to the right-field foul pole, where first-base umpire Dan Iassogna emphatically signaled it fair. After review, the call was ruled to stand, giving Jones his seventh big league homer.
“I didn’t know. I was just standing there watching it,” Jones said. “I saw it go up and around the foul pole. I was hoping the umpire saw the same thing as me.”
It was Jones’ second homer in as many games -- and the second time in three nights that a Yankees game featured a jaw-dropping drive near a foul pole. On Wednesday in Baltimore, Pete Alonso believed he’d crushed a go-ahead home run off Brent Headrick, but the call on the field stood as foul.
“I’m thinking it’s our week for that,” Boone said.
José Caballero added a sacrifice fly in the fourth behind Schlittler, who walked three and struck out four. Rested after Ryan Yarbrough’s three-inning save on Thursday, the Yankees bullpen answered the call, spinning three innings of scoreless relief.
Headrick and Paul Blackburn recorded three outs apiece, handing off to David Bednar, who pitched around a leadoff ground-rule double in the ninth for his 30th save. Yankees relievers have permitted just one earned run over their last 18 2/3 innings.
“Our bullpen is incredible,” Jones said. “Those guys go in there every single night, they do their job, and they love it.”
Almost as much as Schlittler appreciates a certain saga. For him, “Star Wars” goes beyond the movies.
“It represents baseball,” Schlittler said. “Having that competitive demeanor, and then the way I’m calm, cool and collected -- and can be kind of goofy at times? I love Star Wars. Everyone knows that.”