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Right after the Mets' season ended, Edwin Diaz was asked about his opt-out. And he was not ready to declare publicly that he is exercising it. 

"Not yet. I was waiting for the season to be over to go home, talk to my family -- always I like to make decisions with my family," Diaz said. "I want my family to feel comfortable, feel like part of my decision. Now I'm going home, I will start thinking about that and see what happens in the future."

Diaz was also asked whether he would want to return to the Mets if he opts out.

"Yeah, of course," he said. "I love this organization. They treat me really, really good. My family, everything. If I decide to opt out I would love to come back."

While Diaz hasn't stated his intentions just yet, it will be shocking if he doesn't opt out of the final two years of the five-year, $102 million contract he signed after the 2022 season -- when the Mets locked him up in November during their exclusive negotiating window.

Diaz, who will be entering his age-32 season in 2026, is coming off a year where he was one of the best and most dominant relievers in baseball. And it's fair to believe that he'll easily be able to exceed what's left on his current deal in terms of both years and dollars.

So Diaz opting out is just a matter of time it seems.

When he does, should the Mets bring him back?

WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO LET DIAZ GO

With Tanner Scott prying a four-year $72 million dollar deal from the Dodgers last offseason and then responding by posting a 4.74 ERA and the worst strikeout rate of his career, those in Diaz's camp can argue that someone of Diaz's caliber deserves a five-or six-year contract worth in excess of $20 million annually.

But it's hard to see Diaz getting that, given his age and the fact that the biggest deal ever given to a reliever in terms of present day value was to Josh Hader -- and it's difficult to envision a 32-year-old eclipsing that. Hader got a five-year, $95 million deal ahead of the 2024 season before his age-30 season. The deal Diaz signed after the 2022 season, while $7 million more than Hader's, had a significant portion deferred. 

Another thing to consider is that Diaz's average fastball velocity has been slowly starting to tick down.

He averaged an outrageous 99.1 mph in 2022 in the season before he suffered the knee injury that kept him out for all of 2023.

When Diaz returned in 2024, his average fastball velocity was 97.5 mph. In 2025, it was 97.2 mph.

In a world where Diaz's fastball starts to significantly dip, he could be especially hittable since his only other viable pitch is his slider. 

It's also fair to wonder how many lucrative, long-term contracts the Mets are comfortable having on the books.

With Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Brandon Nimmo all under contract through at least 2030, would New York be comfortable adding long deals to Diaz and potentially Pete Alonso to that group?

WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO KEEP DIAZ

Now that I'm done grasping at straws trying to come up with reasons to let Diaz go...

Diaz has shown no real sign of slowing down, fresh off a season where he had a 1.63 ERA (2.28 FIP) and 0.87 WHIP with 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings. 

Since his forgettable 2019 debut season with New York, here's what Diaz has done over his last five seasons:

270.1 innings pitched
2.36 ERA
0.97 WHIP
14.6 strikeouts per nine

The stuff (while the fastball velo is a bit down from its peak) remains filthy.

Diaz ranked in the 99th percentile this past season when it came to xERA, xBA, whiff percentage, and strikeout percentage. He was in the 89th percentile or better in fastball velocity, barrel percentage, and extension. His ground ball rate, chase percentage, and the average exit velocity against him all graded out well above average.

Batters hit .133 with a .200 slugging percentage against Diaz's fastball in 2025, while hitting .179 with a .269 slugging percentage against his slider.  

In addition to what Diaz brings on the mound (and he's been incredibly reliable, making 54 or more appearances each of the last four seasons), there are the intangibles.

Diaz has not only embraced New York, but has proved that he can thrive here.

He also has a serious desire to be a Met, which he showed while quickly re-signing following the 2022 campaign and with his comments after this season.

VERDICT

This should be the easiest decision the Mets make all offseason. 

Beyond all the arguments in favor of Diaz is the fact that the Mets don't have anyone in line to replace him.

New York's bullpen for 2026 is basically Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter (who should be back healthy after missing most of this season due to a lat injury), and a whole bunch of question marks.

For a team that is going to enter next season with the expectation of contending for a World Series, finding a closer is of huge importance.

And they don't have to go far for him. 

Buster Posey plans to spend Giants' offseason focused on pitching for 2026 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey hit .302 in the big leagues and won a batting title in his first full season as the Giants’ catcher. Through one year as an executive, his batting average might be even higher. 

It’ll take years to get a full view of how the Willy Adames contract will work out, but the first season was a strong overall one. For all of the grumbling about Justin Verlander early in the season, that one-year deal ended up being a positive, too. There were misses on some moves, and the Giants certainly paid for their inactivity with certain position groups, but they also felt really good about the in-season moves for Rafael Devers and Dominic Smith.

Thus far, the Posey front office has seemed to make pretty solid decisions. But the work this offseason will be a bit trickier. 

It is generally easier to hit on veteran position players because there’s less injury risk and the year-over-year swings aren’t as dramatic, but this offseason, Posey will be focusing on the other half of the game. Asked about the team’s biggest needs on Thursday’s “Giants Talk” podcast, he said the goal is clear. 

“I think our focus is going to be on pitching, to try to fortify our starting staff,” Posey said. “The same goes with the bullpen. I believe that pitching and defense wins, so that’s where we’ll probably start looking this offseason when free agency does happen.”

The offseason will start with a focus on the rotation, and as the Giants learned this year, that push should never really end. Posey felt great about the organization’s depth going into his first season, saying often that the strength of the franchise was young pitching. By August, it was clear that was no longer the case. 

The Giants traded Kyle Harrison and watched Jordan Hicks and Hayden Birdsong pitch their way out of the rotation. Landen Roupp became a reliable piece but got hurt. Other young options were inconsistent, and by the end of the season, the Giants had multiple TBAs in their rotation every time through. 

 “You always hear it: You can never have enough pitching. I feel like we came into the year thinking that we had a nice amount of depth, and then by the end it didn’t feel like we had a lot of depth,” Posey said. “It was definitely a learning experience for me to learn that that old adage — you never can have enough pitching — is definitely true.”

Posey, general manager Zack Minasian and the rest of the front office will have multiple avenues to building depth this offseason. If the past calendar year is any indication, the initial lean will be to go big. Posey talked often last October and November about his desire to get a shortstop upgrade, and he went to the top of the market with Adames. When the lineup needed a boost, he traded for Devers. 

The free agent pitching market includes Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Framber Valdez and others who have pitched at or near the top of a rotation. There will be the usual array of potential reclamation projects like Walker Buehler, Dustin May and Jon Gray. Other notable names like Shane Bieber and Michael King could be available depending on whether options are picked up this month. 

Posey needs two starters, and given that Roupp had an elbow scare during the summer and the Triple-A depth got decimated, he might feel the need to add a third option. When that’s done, he’ll need to rebuild just about an entire bullpen.

Ryan Walker is a good bet to return, although likely not as the closer, and Jose Butto and Spencer Bivens should feel pretty safe, too. Others like Joel Peguero, Tristan Beck and Joey Lucchesi showed flashes. Erik Miller was fully cleared from a health standpoint by the end of September and should be back as the top lefty. But it’s not overstating it to say that the Giants might need about a half-dozen new relief options in camp next spring as they try to sort everything out.

Posey said they first will look internally, and while young starters are never turned into relievers until it’s the last resort, guys like Birdsong, Keaton Winn and Carson Seymour could end up filling out the bullpen. Trevor McDonald could take Roupp’s path, helping out in the bullpen for a year before getting a real shot at the rotation. 

The Giants also plan to be active on the minor league free agency front, which is an area where Minasian and assistant GM Jeremy Shelley have had plenty of success over the years. You don’t want to spend big on relievers in free agency, but that’s an option, too.

The Giants currently have 22 pitchers on their 40-man roster, and the vast majority of them are young, under team control and will be back in some role. The oldest of the group, Verlander, is about to hit free agency for a second straight year, and after a huge second half, he will likely be far more appealing to contenders. 

Verlander has been coy about what he’s looking for, and he said after his final start that he hasn’t even given it much thought. He admits, though, that the push for 300 wins is still something he’s thinking about, and in that respect, a season filled with poor run support and bullpen collapses might not have left the best taste in his mouth. 

Verlander loved the clubhouse, though, and the Giants loved having him as a leader. Posey said they’re “open” to a reunion with Verlander, who likely will be looking for another one-year deal. 

“He’s been great. He was a great teammate,” Posey said. “I personally felt like he pitched — even when he was probably receiving a lot of criticism early in the year — I felt like he was still in a place that was putting us in a spot that we could win games. 

“He didn’t get a ton of run support and the bullpen gave it up for him a little bit in some of those stretches, but then he really turned it on towards the end of the season. It was pretty remarkable, for a guy that turns 43 in the spring. To be able to go out and compete against guys that some are half his age, it was pretty impressive.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Former Scotland forward James McFadden on Sportsound

First half was disappointing, Rangers were the architects of their own downfall going behind.

They were far better in the second half, but why do you wait until it looks like the game is gone to make changes? The players look like the shackles are off when they change formation.

They look a danger to themselves at times when they have the ball. The goals the concede, and have conceded, have been really poor. Every goal is avoidable. It's frustrating to watch.

Ex-Rangers striker Ally McCoist on TNT Sports

There has to be a serious level of criticism at Rangers defensively - as players and as a team.

Former Hearts manager Robbie Neilson on BBC Scottish football podcast

Things start to spiral and we're getting to that point now where the negativity towards the manager is definitely having an effect on the players. There's no doubt about that.

The only way to turn that is to win football matches. I don't know if they've got the squad to win six, seven, eight in a row, but that's the only way they'll turn it.

It looks like Russell Martin has taken as much pressure as he can on himself to try and get it away from the players.

But I think at the moment it's coming back on the players as well now because it's got quite an extreme stage.

Ex-Rangers full-back Alan Hutton on TNT Sports

Rangers can't continue this way, if I'm honest. This is unheard of for a Rangers team. It's the manner of the way they are conceding. And when they go forward, the cohesion isn't quite there.

In the soaking Yankee clubhouse, Cam Schlittler stood talking to reporters, dripping wet -- Champagne was his postgame eau de parfum, considering all the celebrating that was going on around him. The championship wrestling belt given by teammates to the Player of the Game was slung over one shoulder and Schlittler was still wearing the high socks he had pitched with, though he had swapped his spikes for flip-flops. 

It was a compelling postgame tableau only minutes after Schlittler’s compelling performance led the Yankees past the Boston Red Sox in their AL Wild Card series. Schlittler, a 24-year-old rookie, threw eight shutout innings in the Yankees’ 4-0 victory Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, sealing the best-of-three affair with the best performance of his life. 

So far, anyway. Considering his immense talent, which includes a 100 mile-per-hour fastball, that’s an important disclaimer. 

Seeing Schlittler soar in such an enormous win also might serve notice to the rest of baseball -- the Yankees were banking on their starting pitching going into the playoffs and felt they had a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. After Schlittler’s outing, perhaps they have a terrifying trio. 

Rodón was not great in Game 2 (six innings, three runs), but both Fried and Schlittler delivered gems. Overall, the Yankee rotation threw 20.1 innings against Boston and allowed only the runs Rodón surrendered. That’s a 1.33 ERA, the kind of pitching that can move a team through playoff rounds. 

So if you can’t wait to see what Schlittler can do against the Toronto Blue Jays in the next round, who could blame you after what he did to Boston, the team the Walpole, Mass. native grew up adoring. Schlittler struck out 12 and walked none and allowed only five hits. The Red Sox had exactly one at-bat against him with a runner in scoring position and it ended, perhaps predictably, now that you know his final line, with a K. 

The 12 strikeouts are the most ever by a Yankee rookie in a postseason game -- he broke Dave Righetti’s 1981 record of 10 -- and he was only the second Yankee ever to throw eight scoreless innings in his postseason debut, joining Waite Hoyt, who did it in the 1921 World Series. 

Schlittler is also the first pitcher in MLB history to throw at least eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks in a postseason game. 

“I mean,” said Aaron Boone, “what a performance.” 

“We needed to be perfect tonight because he was perfect,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I mean, the stuff is outstanding. It was under control. 

“He was electric.” 

Perhaps unbelievably, Schlittler had never had a double-digit strikeout game as a pro.

“That’s something I did in college,” said Schlittler, who was a seventh-round pick in 2022 out of Northeastern, which is in, um, Boston. “But my professional career, it’s not something I’ve gotten. I get nine a lot. I didn’t always throw 100, so once I got up here, that’s something that I was able to make an adjustment on…Obviously, (double-digit strikeouts) is not the goal, but that’s a good feeling, being able to go out there and dominate a lot.”

In the first inning, Schlittler got three outs on 14 pitches. Six of those pitches were 100 mph or faster. As the night went on, he worked efficiently. He threw his 100th pitch to finish the seventh inning and thought he was finished -- seven frames was his season-high in his 14 starts during the regular season. But Boone had other ideas. 

Usually, the manager goes down the dugout steps with a pitcher nearing the end of his outing to either have a conversation about the upcoming inning or to tell the pitcher his work is done. Instead, Boone just asked, “You good?” Schlittler was. Boone thought he’d go hitter-to-hitter with Schlittler in the eighth, but Schlittler breezed through on seven pitches, allowing himself a low-key fist pump as he came off the mound after retiring Trevor Story on a grounder. 

“I trust his ability to go fill up the (strike) zone,” Boone said. 

“To be able to go out there and put the team on his back, it’s extremely impressive,” Fried added. “I don’t think anyone’s expecting it, but to say that he wasn’t capable of it definitely would be selling him short. He’s got unbelievable stuff and he’s really put it together.” 

Schlittler admitted he probably hadn’t fully grasped what he’d just accomplished. He did seem to enjoy it, though. When he came into the post-game interview room -- toting towels because he was still drenched from the clubhouse celebration -- he brought the wrestling belt and the goggles he had used to protect his eyes as teammates were spraying each other and set them up on the table. He cracked open a Gatorade before addressing questions. 

“Sorry,” he said to the room as the can whooshed when he opened it. 

Then he started detailing his night. He had felt great all along, he said, because he had gotten great sleep the previous two nights and he quoted some recovery metrics to back up his snooze claim. In his bullpen warmup, his stuff crackled, which made him optimistic about his night. He controlled his breathing well, which is a particular focus because it helps him conserve energy. 

When he got to the dugout after the eighth, he knew he was finished and joined raucous teammates in the dugout. “I couldn’t really hear anything going on,” Schlittler said. “But they’re all pumped up and excited for me and that’s just a great feeling.” 

This season in the majors, Schlittler got to 100 pitches exactly once. He threw 107 Thursday night and 75 of those were strikes, backing up Boone on his ability to fill up the zone. 

“When you throw 100 and command the baseball and land your secondary pitches, you can be a problem for the opposition,” Boone said. “That’s what he’s capable of.” 

And if Schlittler can continue this kind of excellence in these playoffs, the Yankees, with their starters, can be a problem for the rest of the teams still playing.

Not everything went the Yankees' way in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Red Sox in Game 3 of the Wild Card series, and Giancarlo Stanton can tell you that first-hand.

Leading off the second inning and with the game scoreless, the Yankees slugger launched a curveball from Connelly Early deep to left center field. Stanton and the 48 thousand-plus in attendance thought the ball was destined for the bullpen and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Before the ball landed, Stanton turned to his dugout and started hyping his teammates up while walking to first base.

The ball was hit 114.5 mph off the bat and went 393 feet, but the launch angle wasn't high enough, as it hit off the middle of the wall and fell to the warning track. When Stanton turned from his teammates, he noticed the ball did not go out and he hustled to make it to second base. 

YES Network's Meredith Marakovits spoke to Stanton after the team's win and asked if there was any doubt the team would find a way to get the win. And the Yankees slugger had the perfect answer.

"The only doubt was if that was a homer or not whenever I hit it. Thank goodness for that bonehead play that the team was resilient enough and Cam [Schlittler] was resilient enough. And it didn't mess up the chemistry or the moment," he said. "So that's good. Kids at home, don't do that. Future opponents, please do that. Bonehead play. Just glad it worked in our favor and it won't happen again."

Although the Yankees were not able to drive him home, it was a good sign that Stanton reached base at all. He entered Game 3 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and looked lost at the plate. And although the double was his only hit of the game, Stanton looked much more comfortable.

The Yankees will need their slugger's power when they go up against the Blue Jays in the ALDS starting Saturday.

Giancarlo misses a homer by a couple feet. He gets a double pic.twitter.com/lLdXIcHi2Y

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 3, 2025

Giancarlo thought he hit a home run pic.twitter.com/QWAXRRq8AT

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 3, 2025

Yankees OF Cody Bellinger is undergoing treatment on his foot following Thursday's Game 3 win over the Red Sox. 

Bellinger was seen limping at times during the series-clinching victory in the Bronx. 

According to Bryan Hoch of MLB Network, though, he expects to be ready for Saturday's ALDS Game 1. 

While his status was never truly in doubt, it's certainly an encouraging sign for the Yanks that everything is okay. 

Bellinger had hits in all three games during the Wild Card series, and his bloop double helped get things going during the decisive four-run fourth inning rally on Thursday night. 

"That was such a fun series," he said postgame. "The atmosphere was incredible, it was just so fun. Some really good baseball games and I was just excited we were able to come out on top today. It feels really good." 

Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are lined up to pitch Games 2 and 3 of the American League Division Series, leaving open the question of who will face Toronto in Game 1 on Saturday.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone and his staff have genuinely not decided between the two candidates, Luis Gil and Will Warren, though their initial slight lean is toward Gil. The staff will meet about this in the coming hours.

Gil had not impressed the team by sacrificing velocity for command this year. The Yankees have maintained that Gil is healthy but just trying to be too fine. 

The Yankees did think that Gil showed improvement in his approach in Sunday’s season finale against Baltimore. Both Gil and Warren faced Toronto once this season. Warren allowed eight runs in Toronto on July 2. Gil allowed one run in six innings at home against Toronto on Sept. 6.

It does not sound like those performances will factor much into the decisions. 

It was a magical night in the Bronx.

In a do-or-die Game 3 between the Yankees and Red Sox, rookie starter Cam Schlittler gave New York everything he had, but the flamethrowing right-hander also received some fantastic defense behind him. No play on Thursday night embodied that support than Ryan McMahon in the eighth inning.

Schlittler struck out Romy Gonzalez to begin the eighth inning, his 12th and final of the game, but the dangerous Jarren Duran came up. Duran swung at a 96 mph cutter at the top of the zone and he popped it up into foul territory. McMahon raced over toward the Red Sox dugout, but did not slow down as the ball was not hit high enough, but the Yankee third baseman grabbed it just before he slammed into the railing and flipped into the visitor's dugout.

Incredibly, McMahon held on for the second out of the inning.

 

WHAT A PLAY BY RYAN McMAHON!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/MRaLpwDtjC

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

"I knew I was getting close, but I felt like I couldn’t slow down," McMahon told SNY's Michelle Margaux after the game. "Just kept going, just trying to get outs for Cam."

"It went up, and then I felt like I saw, kind of my periphery, I feel like he's got a beat on it, but I know where he is headed, and he's on the dead run, so it just flashed back to Gio Urshela a couple years ago when he went flying into the dugout against Tampa late in the season," manager Aaron Boone recalled. "I came sprinting out of the dugout because I knew it could be dangerous over there. Great play by a great defender."

Facing off against the southpaw Connelly Early, McMahon wasn't in the starting lineup but came in late for Amed Rosario for defensive purposes. While the left-handed hitter hasn't provided much offense since they acquired him before the trade deadline, the Yankees needed him for his glove, and his teammates could not help but gush over the play he made that helped the Yankees make it back to the ALDS.

"Unreal. Glad he’s ok," Giancarlo Stanton said of the play. "Just shows how good he is, how hard he plays." 

"I thought he was dead," Austin Wells said.

"That was crazy. Scared the hell out of me, but it was sick," Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. "I've never done that before so I think it's super sick."

"That’s why we got him," Aaron Judge said of McMahon. "Go out there and get the best third baseman for a reason. Got some big clutch hits for us, but it’s plays like that in crunch time, that’s why you go out there and get a guy like that."

Aaron Boone asked Cam Schlittler before he left on Wednesday if he was ready for his Game 3 start. 

Schlittler’s response: “Oh yeah.”

And that he was. 

The young right-hander was absolutely spectacular, making history in just the first postseason outing of his big-league career, helping the Yankees advance to the ALDS with a victory over the rival Red Sox on Thursday night. 

“We had to be perfect, because he was perfect tonight,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. 

Schlittler was in complete control from the get-go -- he touched 100 mph six times in the top of the first, then struck out five batters and held Boston to just a Masataka Yoshida opposite-field single the first time through the order.

His lone sign of trouble came after the offense handed him a 4-0 lead in the fourth, as Boston pieced together a pair of fifth-inning singles, but he was able to get Jarren Duran to chase an inside fastball to escape without any damage.  

Schlittler worked around a leadoff single in the sixth, then pieced together a perfect top of the seventh, finishing off with a swinging strikeout of Wilyer Abreu on a 99 mph fastball on his 100th pitch of the night. 

And just when it looked like his night was done, the 24-year-old came storming back out of the Yankees’ dugout for the top of the eighth, which went down as a seven-pitch inning to bring his outstanding outing to an end. 

“It was an epic environment, really,” Schlittler said. “Once in a lifetime opportunity, I’m just going to make sure I take it all in -- it’s definitely a dream to play Boston in the playoffs and be able to end their season.”

The righty became the first pitcher in MLB history to put together eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks in a playoff game.

His 12 Ks are also the most ever by a Yankees rookie in the postseason. 

“He didn’t make it more than it was, but also realized the importance,” Boone said. “When you throw 100 with command and can land your secondary pitches, you can be a problem. That’s what he’s capable of -- I’m honestly not surprised.”

Here is the Yankees' postseason schedule as they pursue championship No. 28, against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series.

---

American League Division Series

*all times subject to change

Saturday, Oct. 4

Game 1: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 p.m., FOX

Sunday, Oct. 4

Game 2: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 PM ET, FS1

Tuesday, Oct. 7

Game 3: Blue Jays at Yankees, TBD, FOX/FS1

Wednesday, Oct. 8

Game 4: Blue Jays at Yankees, TBD, FOX/FS1 *if necessary

Friday, Oct. 10

Game 5: Yankees at Blue Jays, TBD, FOX/FS1 *if necessary

American League Wild Card Series

Tuesday, Sept. 30

Game 1: Red Sox at Yankees

Red Sox defeat Yankees, 3-1

Wednesday, Oct. 1

Game 2: Red Sox at Yankees

Yankees defeat Red Sox, 4-3

Thursday, Oct. 2

Game 3: Red Sox at Yankees

Yankees defeat Red Sox, 4-0

Cam Schlittler blasted into Yankee postseason lore Thursday night with a spectacular start in the Yankees’ 4-0 victory over the Red Sox in the deciding game of their AL Wild Card series. 

Schlittler threw eight scintillating shutout innings, allowing only five hits and no walks, and set a record for strikeouts by a Yankee rookie in a playoff game (12) all while making throwing 100 miles per hour look easy. 

The series victory means the Yankees advance to a best-of-five AL Division Series against the Blue Jays, which begins Saturday in Toronto. The Red Sox had beaten the Yankees the last three times they had met in the playoffs -- 2004, 2018 and 2021. 

The Yankees also made a slice of Wild Card history: They are the first team under the new playoff format (since 2022) to lose the first game of a Wild Card series and go on to win. The team that had won the opening game had been 15-0 in series until the Yanks’ victory.

Here are the takeaways...

- Schlittler was never in real trouble all night -- the Red Sox had one at-bat against him with a runner in scoring position and Schlittler struck out Jarren Duran in that at-bat to end the fifth inning. That was also the only frame in which the Red Sox had more than one runner on base against him. Hard to have a big inning that way. Schlittler threw his 100th pitch of the night to get out of the seventh inning but was cruising, so Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave him the eighth, too. Schlittler threw only seven pitches to rocket through the eighth inning. Boone used David Bednar, pitching for the third straight day, to close.

- Schlittler was already a great storyline entering the game. He is a native of Walpole, Mass. – Red Sox territory – grew up rooting for them and pitched in college at Northeastern, which is located in Boston. He was a seventh-round pick by the Yankees in the 2022 draft and says his pro career has essentially converted his whole family to Yankee fans. Schlittler was the fourth rookie pitcher in Yankee history to start a winner-take-all Postseason game, joining Spec Shea in Game 7 of the 1947 World Series, Mel Stottlemyre in Game 7 of the 1964 World Series and Iván Nova in Game 5 of the 2011 ALDS.

- Poor Red Sox fundamentals helped the Yankees in their four-run fourth inning, which was more than enough offense to command the game with the way Schlittler was dealing. Cody Bellinger led off with a bloop into center field that three fielders pursued, but none caught. Bellinger, to his credit, kept running and whirled into second with a lucky double. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a walk and, one out later, Amed Rosario hit an RBI single through the left side. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled, Anthony Volpe swatted an RBI hit through the right side when Boston was playing him to pull. Then things got weird. Austin Wells followed and was initially going to be awarded first base on catcher’s interference, but a replay review revealed Carlos Narváez’s mitt never touched Wells’ bat. Wells remained at bat and, on a 3-2 pitch, hit a hard grounder toward first that could’ve been an inning-ending double play, but the ball glanced off Nathaniel Lowe’s glove and two runs scored. It’s worth noting here that the Red Sox made the most errors in the Major Leagues this season and an outfield blunder had cost them dearly in Game 2 when Duran bungled a catchable ball in left.

- Rosario, in the lineup against a lefty for the second time in the series, started at third base. He’s always been good against left-handers -- this year, he hit .302 with a .491 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers, a smidge better than his very-good career numbers.

- Red Sox starter Connelly Early, a 23-year-old lefty who started the season in Double-A, had only 19.1 innings of big-league experience entering Game 3, but had fashioned a 2.33 ERA over four starts while fanning 29 batters. He was quite sharp early on, though his outing crumbled in the fourth. He had struck out five and allowed only two hits through the first three frames, but ended up giving up four runs (three earned) and six hits in 3.2 innings. Lucas Giolito probably would’ve started Game 3 for Boston, but he’s got an elbow issue, which knocked him out of the postseason. 

- Early, who is 23 years, 182 days old, was the youngest pitcher to start a Postseason game for the Red Sox since – get ready for this – 21-year-old Babe Ruth in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series. In that tilt, Ruth threw a 14-inning complete game in a 2-1 Boston victory over the Brooklyn Robins. Yes, it was a much different era. Ruth also had an RBI in the game.

- Ryan McMahon, who entered the game for Rosario in the sixth inning for defense, made a spectacular catch of a foul pop by Duran in the eighth inning, flopping over the railing of the Red Sox dugout to snare the ball for the second out. He popped back up and went back to his spot at third base.

- Maybe the Yankees got some good karma going early by bringing Bucky Dent to the Stadium to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The timing was certainly right -- it was an elimination game against the Red Sox and Thursday was the 47th anniversary of Dent’s famous homer in the one-game playoff between the two teams to decide the AL East title in 1978. Dent’s home run was a key blast in the Yanks’ victory then. 

Game MVP: Cam Schlittler

Schlittler, obviously. It continued a great run of pitching for the Yankee youngster. He finished the regular season with a 2.23 ERA over his final nine starts and a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts overall. Not bad for someone who started the season at the Double-A level. 

Highlights

Cam Schlittler finishes off Alex Bregman with 100 to cap off a 1-2-3 first inning 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zFzkHVnVUh

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

Five strikeouts in three innings for Cam Schlittler 💪 pic.twitter.com/hHo8kvoAEj

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

WE HAVE LIFTOFF.

Cody Bellinger comes home on Amed Rosario's single and the Yankees score first! pic.twitter.com/WyQzENZ5uz

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

Anthony Volpe brings home Giancarlo Stanton with the second run of the inning! pic.twitter.com/psTy8c9lSt

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

YANKEE STADIUM IS ROCKING.

It's a four-run fourth inning 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5T9bFeGtS3

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

10 STRIKEOUTS FOR CAM SCHLITTLER! pic.twitter.com/UXG0xqphXn

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

11 Ks FOR CAM SCHLITTLER! pic.twitter.com/9zuozwLll8

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

CAM SCHLITTLER'S 12TH STRIKEOUT ♨️ pic.twitter.com/6JtehsJOFL

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

WHAT A PLAY BY RYAN McMAHON!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/MRaLpwDtjC

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 3, 2025

What's next

The Yankees will move on to the American League Division Series to face their division rival Blue Jays. 

Game 1 will take place Saturday at 4:08 p.m. in Toronto.