NEED TO KNOWYankees pitcher Cam Schlittler is addressing the trolling he receives from his home state of Massachusetts
Schlitter said Boston Red Sox fans often send hateful messages, including death threats, because he plays for the rival New York Yankees
"That's kind of what I expect,” the professional pitcher said
Cam Schlittler is drowning out the noise ahead of his first start at Fenway Park.
In two new interviews this week, the 25-year-old New York Yankees pitcher opened up about how he and his family have been the target of trolling and death threats ahead of his planned start against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, April 23.
"Most normal fans could care less, right?" Schlittler told the California Post in an interview published Sunday, April 19.
He grew up in Walpole, Mass., about 40 minutes South of Boston, and was selected by his hometown team's division rivals in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
"It's just those diehards that just have nothing else in their lives other than baseball or sports that really care about this, and the fact that I play for the Yankees makes it worse for them," the sports star continued.
He also said he anticipates the game is “gonna be bad” due to the response he’s received thus far.
“I'm not nervous about it, but it's gonna be loud," Schlittler said. "They're gonna probably have dudes that are my age or a little bit younger, sitting right outside the [visiting] bullpen, yelling whatever, probably throwing stuff at me, trying to grab me.”
Though the April 23 match-up marks Schlitter's first time pitching at Fenway, it's not his first time playing against the Sox as a Yankee.
Schlittler, who had the most strikeouts by a Yankees rookie in a postseason game in 2025, recorded a 4-0 win against the Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2025 American League Wild Card Series.
“[You’d] think after last time, how much they were talking before, that they might be trying to quiet it down a little bit,” he told The Athletic.
He added that he initially thought things would go better and that the fans would have a “mutual respect, just because I was from there.”
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“And it just shocked me so much that I was like, ‘OK, I’m trying to dominate,’ ” Schlittler said. “I’m going to make sure they hear it back. So, it was really just a shock, and it kind of lit the fire a little bit. My personality kind of got dragged out of me.”
He previously addressed his family falling victim to the trolls after a screenshot of his mother setting her social media to private circulated online.
“Some of the bigger accounts they got over there, I was able to see, unfortunately,” Schlittler said, per The Athletic. “I don’t really check my phone much before the game, but there was some stuff that was brought to my attention. Don’t need to give them the attention they’re looking for, but just channel it and made sure I took it in the right way.”
Despite the harassment, Schlittler assured the outlet that he’s ready for the intense atmosphere at Fenway.
"That's kind of what I expect,” he said. “So I know the guys are excited for it and I'm excited for it."