Schlittler Riles Toronto Crowd Ahead of Yankees - Blue Jays Start

Cam Schlittler sharpened the Yankees - Blue Jays edge before Saturday’s start in Toronto, saying Blue Jays fans are “easy to rage-bait.” The 25-year-old right-hander goes in with a 1.87 ERA across 14 starts, a 7-3 record, and 89 strikeouts in 82.0 innings.

Schlittler Targets Toronto

“They’re easy to rage-bait, I think,” Schlittler said ahead of Saturday’s game. He added, “All the stuff last year in the playoffs or whatever it is, they’ve got a whole country behind them, so there’s a lot.”

The comments came after a Friday opener in Toronto that the Blue Jays took 8-5 behind Alejandro Kirk’s performance. New York entered the weekend trying to answer a playoff memory that still sits in the middle of this series.

Blue Jays Took the First Series

Last season, the Yankees and Blue Jays met in the MLB Playoffs for the first time in the history of the two franchises. Toronto beat New York 3-1 in the American League Division Series and moved on to the World Series.

Schlittler did not soften the message. “They’re passionate about it. You respect them for that, but I don’t really like them,” he said. “They ended our season last year.”

Saturday Start In Toronto

He also said, “I hope everyone’s got that chip on their shoulder.” That is the frame for Saturday in Toronto: a Yankees starter carrying a 1.87 ERA into a crowd he has already antagonized, with the Blue Jays holding the recent postseason edge and a 1-0 lead in the weekend series.