TORONTO -- Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler on Friday said Red Sox fans "crossed the line" by harassing family members, including his mother, on social media ahead of his historic start in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series on Thursday night.
Schlittler is a native of Walpole, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb 15 miles outside of the city. He attended Northeastern in Boston and lives in the city during the offseason. He acknowledged he expected some pestering from Red Sox fans but nothing to the extent that flooded his family.
"I think if it was a different fan base coming at them, I'd probably be a little bit more OK with it," Schlittler said before the Yankees' workout at Rogers Centre ahead of Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. "I think it just being Boston was a little bit more disappointing."
The 24-year-old Schlittler said he harnessed the anger to produce one of the greatest pitching performances in postseason history. The rookie right-hander, making his 15th career major league start and his playoff debut, became the first pitcher to throw at least eight scoreless innings with 12-plus strikeouts and zero walks in a postseason game. He threw a career-high 107 pitches. He fired 64 of them at least 98 mph.
"I'm a competitive player," Schlittler said. "All they're doing is feeding the fire. Just making sure I'm staying off my phone. I see it. I noticed it the other day. But at the end of the day, I'm going to go out there and just lock in even more. So, honestly, I can thank them as well for putting me in that position."
He also said after the Yankees' 4-0 win that the harassment of his family was "personal" for him.
Schlittler said family and friends who remain Red Sox fans reached out to him with congratulatory messages, but they were "bummed out."
"I told them that's exactly what was going to happen," Schlittler said. "They'll get over it. Hockey season is coming up, basketball season is coming up. So I'm sure they got other things to distract them."
Schlittler is lined up to make his next start in Game 4 of the ALDS in New York next Wednesday if a Game 4 is necessary.