NEW YORK — The Dodgers and Yankees are playing two at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, with two dynamic arms set to face off in the first game.
Both Yamamoto and Schlittler could be in the Cy Young Award mix by season’s end, with the 25-year-old Schlittler emerging as one of the favorites in the American League coming out of the All-Star break.
“They’ve got a great lineup, great rotation, so they’re definitely a top-three team in the league,” Schlittler said of the Dodgers. “So it’s going to be a good test for us, and I think we’ve got to try and step up to that hype and just kind of play our game.”
“Overall, there’s good outings,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “And also physically, condition-wise, it’s been good. And I hope that I can carry this into the second half.”
Schlittler, who’s in his second big league season, is 9-5 with an AL-best 2.05 ERA in 20 starts. This will be his first time facing the Dodgers.
In just more than a year since making his MLB debut, Schlittler has already established himself as one of the must-watch pitchers in the Majors.
“I think I always have confidence in myself,” Schlittler said. “I don’t think I expected to be up as soon as I was, but when you get those opportunities, you’ve got to try and make the most of it, and I was able to do that.”
