Red Sox, Yankees to start rookies in decisive Game 3 of AL Wild Card series

NEW YORK When the Red Sox and Yankees take the field on Thursday night it ll mark just the fourth time ever the two franchises have squared off in a winner-take-all postseason challenge And with their seasons on the line both clubs will hand the ball to rookie starting pitchers Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early and Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler have been released as the starting pitchers for Battle of the AL Wild Card series Both rookies started the season in Double-A and have given their teams a massive boost since joining their respective big league rotations Related Articles Garrett Whitlock runs out of gas as Red Sox fall to Yankees in Challenge Red Sox front office Fenway Park workers fight over alcohol We have nothing to hide Red Sox standouts playing through illness against Yankees Aroldis Chapman survives harrowing ninth to secure Competition save Nick Sogard s aggressive baserunning pays off in Red Sox Tournament win Early is only making his fifth career MLB start and according to OptaStats he will be the first pitcher ever to start a winner-take-all playoff championship within days of making his big league debut I m super excited about it Early announced postgame adding that he d only uncovered out he d be starting two minutes earlier Really good feeling and just ready to get out there Originally drafted in the fifth round of the MLB Draft Early posted a ERA with strikeouts in minor league innings before receiving his big league promotion on Sept The -year-old has since dominated at the MLB level posting a ERA with strikeouts in innings over his first four starts Even in such a short period of time Early has already made a strong impression on his teammates The kid is electric commented Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez It s a young kid I ve got to lead the way for him but he s been electric all his pitches have been good so we re going to use them all I ve got a good vibe on him As Early has stabilized a Red Sox rotation that has been decimated by injury Schlittler has made a similar impact on the Yankees A native of Walpole Mass Schlittler starred locally at Northeastern University before being taken in the seventh round of the MLB Draft He steadily worked his way up through the Yankees system and this season broke out as one of the club s top pitching prospects The -year-old was promoted to the majors on July and through his first MLB starts has posted a ERA with strikeouts in innings Though Thursday will mark Schlittler s first start against the Red Sox in the majors he has faced Boston once before Back as a college freshman in he took the mound during the annual Red Sox vs Northeastern Spring Training exhibition Schlittler couldn t have imagined that his next time facing the Red Sox would be in a winner-take-all playoff meeting No Schlittler mentioned Freshman in college playing against them in Fort Myers that was a great experience Obviously I am a lot different athlete than I was then So didn t really expect to be in this situation back then but now I am definitely happy I am However unlikely their journeys Early and Schlittler now carry the weight of their band s seasons on their shoulders Two rookies Encounter Wild Card Yankees-Red Sox Imagine that disclosed Red Sox manager Alex Cora Should be a fun night