BOSTON — During Cam Schlittler’s Fenway Park debut Thursday — his first game pitching against the Red Sox since his dominant playoff start, after which he revealed that venom from Boston fans both irritated and motivated him, a Massachusetts kid turning heel against his childhood favorite team — Red Sox fans treated him the same way their team’s bats treated Yankees pitching:
Kindly. With little resistance.
Sure, Schlittler was booed and heard typical jabs from hecklers before and during the 4-2 victory that finished off a sweep, but the type of poison that he said he heard online before Thursday did not show itself in person.
“You [underestimate] how many genuine people are out there compared to online,” Schlittler said after stymieing the Red Sox for eight innings in which he let up two runs (one earned).
Before the game, the Yankees’ talented right-hander walked from the visiting dugout to right field, where he stretched, before entering the bullpen hearing more applause than boos.
One young fan held up a sign reading, “Walpole [hearts] Schlittler,” and Yankees fans outnumbered Red Sox fans in the area a half hour before first pitch.
It was helpful for Schlittler that Red Sox fans might be angrier at their own team, which has begun the season poorly and scored three runs in the three-game series, than at Schlittler.
“I think [the Red Sox] not scoring a lot or mounting a lot necessarily kind of took [away] a little bit of that angst that you get from playing at Fenway, which can be so tough,” said manager Aaron Boone, who did not find the atmosphere to be hostile. “So, he did a good job of not giving them a lot to rally about.”
Schlittler said this week that he and his family have received death threats from Red Sox fans who “kind of hate me.” That hate was not apparent face to face, the most biting comment heard from the bleachers outside the bullpen perhaps being, “Mr. Walpole, forget where you came from?”
There also were fans who yelled “ball” or “single” or “home run” after each warmup pitch, standard fare for any visiting pitcher at a ballpark. The boos reserved for Aaron Judge during the lineup announcement drowned out the boos for Schlittler.
After retiring the side, Schlittler returned to a dugout that was surrounded by Yankees fans.
“For the most part, [fans were] really respectful,” Schlittler said. “And a lot of Yankees fans here.”
The Yankees were prepared for worse. Their three pitching coaches — Matt Blake, Preston Claiborne and Desi Druschel — stood behind Schlittler during his bullpen warmup, ensuring they were between Schlittler and any overzealous fan. Their director of team security followed Schlittler from the dugout to the bullpen and hovered in right field, in the vicinity just in case. Fenway Park security did not allow fans to loiter in the stands around the bullpen without a ticket.
Schlittler facing off against the Red Sox has the potential to reinvigorate the rivalry, and his October brilliance and ensuing openness in punching back at overaggressive Boston fans rekindled a spark.
But the Red Sox, who fell to 9-16, and their fans have bigger issues than antagonizing Schlittler, who acknowledged the atmosphere felt tamer than he expected.
“Just another game,” Schlittler said.
