Schlittler to Start Yankees’ Wild Card Opener

The Yankees named Cam Schlittler to start Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, with Max Fried set for Game 2 and Gerrit Cole slated to start if the series reaches a deciding third game. Schlittler, 25, finished his first full major-league season 14-6 with an American League-best 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts, strengthening his AL Cy Young Award case. He went 2-1 with a 0.74 ERA in four starts against Boston this season and struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings against the Red Sox in last year’s playoffs. The rotation decision followed debate over starter order and rest, while Cole’s potential Game 3 assignment comes during his uneven return from Tommy John surgery.