In an era in which starting pitchers are asked to do less than ever before because of the fragility of their high-octane arms and because of bullpens whose values and workloads have ballooned, the days of marquee matchups between two aces are nearly over.
But not fully over.
Cam Schlittler, who owns a 1.62 ERA and is the early front-runner for the American League Cy Young, against Tarik Skubal, who won the award the past two seasons, is the type of on-paper duel that the sport does not see enough, but will be seen Tuesday in The Bronx.
“I love when guys match up, sort of old school,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before the series opened Monday. “Like on a matchup sheet when you look at who’s pitching. The starter is revered, and those are two of the best in the American League and two of the best in baseball.”
Two of the best, but effectiveness might be where the comparison ends.
There really is no other starter like the righty Schlittler, who relies upon three different fastballs — very hard four-seamers and sinkers and merely hard cutters — to blaze past hitters, who barely have to prepare for anything slower than 95 mph.
The lefty Skubal can elevate into the upper 90s with his four-seamer and sinker, too, but his changeup might be his best pitch (an offering that has a 49.3 percent whiff rate this season), and he will lean upon his slider often, too.
The approaches are different, but the results have been similar.
Skubal steadily improved in each season before breaking through in 2024, when he led the AL with a 2.39 ERA in 31 starts — and followed that up by shaving his ERA to 2.21 in 31 starts last season, becoming the first repeat AL Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000.
This year Skubal required surgery to remove a loose body in his elbow in early May, but an innovative procedure allowed him to return by the middle of June.
He has been human since, sporting a 4.96 ERA in three starts back that included a six-inning, four-run outing against the Yankees in Detroit on Wednesday.
“He’s a great player, and they’ve got a great team,” said Schlittler, who soared his way through the Yankees’ system last year, when his fastball velocity skyrocketed.
His emergence climaxed with one of the great playoff displays in baseball history against the Red Sox. Schlittler is only throwing harder this season, barely touched while striking out 118 and walking just 20 in 100 innings.
During a season in which the National League has more overall ace excellence, notably from Jacob Misiorowski and Cristopher Sánchez, Schlittler has been the most impressive pitcher in the AL, ahead of the likes of Chicago’s Davis Martin, Minnesota’s Joe Ryan and Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen.
Many pitchers will minimize the notion of a duel, leaving such narratives for media and fans to debate, and insist they are solely focused on the opposing lineup.
Yankees Merch Shop
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
In many ways, Schlittler is not like most pitchers.
“It’s going to be a fun one. Realistically, it’s me versus their lineup, but at the same time, you gotta realize that for the most part it might be a close game,” Schlittler said. “So just got to have a little bit of an extra edge to that, and just be aware that he’s probably — at least from last year — the best pitcher in the game.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone called it “one of the great matchups in 2026 in our sport.”
His counterpart was excited, but looked toward the short porch in right and referenced temperatures that might reach the 90s.
“Who knows what it’s going to be like in this ballpark [Tuesday] when it warms up,” Hinch said. “But as a fan, I love when the best players are on the field. … When you can start with the marquee pitching matchup, there is something a little extra special about that.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
