MLB Playoffs: Who is Starting Game 1 for the New York Yankees?

Aaron Boone has been the Yankees manager since the 2018 season and has drawn the ire of New York fans for a good chunk of those eight years.

The latest backlash centers around Boone not locking in ace Cam Schlitter for Game 1 of New York’s Wild Card series with the rival Red Sox. The game is set to take place this coming Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

“We’ll see. Not necessarily,” Boone told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch on Wednesday when asked about Schlittler potentially starting the postseason opener. “Whoever goes 1 or 2 doesn’t affect the next series. So whoever goes 1 or 2 can pitch 2 and 5 in the next series, for example. So we’ll just decide what kind of makes the most sense. Just matching up how we want to go with it. But Cam would certainly be one of those first two games.”

Schlittler, who is the likely American League Cy Young award winner, pitched his final regular season game of the 2026 season on Thursday night against the Rays. The 25-year-old righty threw 70 pitches in 3 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run in a 6-4 Yankees victory.

Boone could very well turn to Max Fried for Game 1 against Boston. Fried last pitched on Tuesday against Tampa Bay, so the southpaw would have a full week of rest in between starts if that’s the way Boone goes.

Another option for Boone would be to start Gerrit Cole in Game 1. Cole last pitched on Wednesday night against the Rays, going 5.2 innings on 105 pitches and allowing 2 earned runs in a 9-2 Yankees win.

Given Schlittler’s overall dominance this season and his history of stifling the Red Sox, however, he remains the logical choice for Boone to start in Game 1.

“We’ll talk and do what we think is best for our club,” Boone said, via MLB.com. “[Schlittler] is the guy we want the ball with, whether that’s Game 1 or Game 2. You’re trying to play out the whole thing; you want to win the whole thing, and you want him to have the most opportunities that he can.”

Schlitter made his name as a Red Sox killer in Game 3 of the Wild Card round last year. He worked 8.0 innings in the Yankees’ 4-0 series-winning victory, allowing just five hits. The Weymouth, Massachusetts native struck out a whopping 12 Red Sox batters at the Stadium that night.

Schlittler has maintained that dominance against Boston this season. Here is a look at his numbers against the Sox.