Schlittler Dominates as Yankees Blank Red Sox in Game 1
The Yankees opened the AL Wild Card Series with a 9-0 rout of the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, and the game belonged to Cam Schlittler from the first inning. New York's ace struck out 10 over 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk, while Ben Rice's home run helped blow the game open. Boston never found an answer.
Our premium pick: We sold the Yankees moneyline and it cashed — comfortably. Schlittler outpitched rookie Payton Tolle, who was better than the final score suggests (4.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) but got no support. Our run line play on Boston +1.5 lost, and it wasn't close: a nine-run margin buried it early. The over on 6.5 runs hit with room to spare, though nearly all of it came from New York's side of the ledger.
Prop results:
- Cam Schlittler over 6.5 strikeouts (-152): WIN. Ten punchouts, clearing the number by 3.5.
- Cam Schlittler under 3.50 hits allowed (+103): WIN. He surrendered just two hits.
- Jarren Duran under 0.50 hits (-118): WIN. Duran went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
Boston's swing-and-miss risk against Schlittler's four-seam played out exactly as expected — Trevor Story and Roman Anthony combined for three strikeouts, and the lineup managed nothing resembling a rally.
The takeaway: When an elite strikeout pitcher faces a cold, contact-challenged lineup in a playoff environment, the under props on opposing bats and the strikeout over are where the value lives. The moneyline was the right side, but the run line taught the familiar lesson: a coin-flip margin projection can turn into a blowout the moment one starter dominates. Trust the pitcher's profile over the projected margin.