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00:00Do you sense there's a fire under everyone's ass on how the season ended last year?
00:04And do you think it will help this team?
00:05It should be.
00:06I mean, I definitely feel it.
00:07And I got to wait two days to pitch.
00:09John, we went to the very top of the pitching food chain this week for a guest.
00:14And that's Cam Schlittler of the Yankees.
00:16Yeah, it'll be great to have him on.
00:17It's great to have him in the clubhouse.
00:19Not only a fantastic pitcher, but he's just a very, very nice guy who's got stuff to say.
00:24So it wasn't a difficult get, I have to say.
00:28He readily agreed right away.
00:30I did think 9 o'clock where my first offer was a little bit early.
00:33And I can't blame him for that.
00:34So you'll love this guy.
00:37He's just a terrific guy, not just a great pitcher.
00:40Yeah, you know, John, you and I are old.
00:42We get up early.
00:43Not every day.
00:43We can do it at 5 a.m. and a half.
00:46Yes.
00:48We'll ask Cam all the pertinent stuff about how his rise from, you know,
00:53Northeastern and a seventh round draft choice to ace not only of the Yankees,
00:57but maybe of the whole sport right now.
01:00You know, Garrett Cole's return, his influences.
01:03John and I will talk lots and lots and break down the Subway Series
01:07and what it meant over the weekend and what it might mean moving forward.
01:11We'll play hit and error at the end if you stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and
01:15John.
01:20Well, John, we got through the first Subway Series of the weekend.
01:24We were both out there for all three games.
01:28I have a thought that leads to a question.
01:31My thought is, like, I'm not sure that I've ever seen a team in mid-May as despondent and down
01:38and almost seeming like they had taken their last punch than the Mets were after Friday night's game,
01:44after Clay Holmes was reported to have the fractured fibula,
01:48and then pregame Saturday where it was like, ugh, like the straw that broke the camel's back.
01:53Like, we've just taken on too much.
01:55And so for them to come back and win twice was impressive and leads to me in this question.
02:01Was this weekend's series victory by the Mets a better victory for the Mets or a worse loss for the
02:11Yankees?
02:12I think it was a better victory for the Mets.
02:14I mean, I thought they were done, too.
02:16I mean, Holmes has been their best starting pitcher, even better than McLean this year.
02:20And to lose him on top of the four position players who were out there and lose that game,
02:26I get why they were despondent.
02:28I was almost despondent for them.
02:30And I give them credit.
02:32They come back, showed hard.
02:34I do like the baby Mets.
02:37Ewing, I was about to call him Mick Ewing.
02:38Ewing does look great.
02:40I mean, really, controls the strike zone, terrific speed.
02:43He can even bunt.
02:44And Benji's been very good, too, since the first three weeks, which he obviously struggled.
02:50So, you know, I think the baby Mets have given them energy.
02:54And it's certainly a major, major plus.
02:58And, you know, I thought they were dead.
03:00And now I'm not so sure that they're dead.
03:02Yeah, look, and I think they're going to need some more baby Mets because Clay Holmes went down.
03:07The guy who kind of seemed locked and loaded to come up was Jack Wenninger.
03:12But he started for them on Sunday.
03:14So maybe it's Zach Thornton or maybe they'll bullpen a little and just try to survive until Kodai Senga comes
03:20back.
03:21It's a thought I obviously had a lot.
03:23Let's stick with the Mets first.
03:24We'll get to the Yankees and some of their issues.
03:27The Mets rose from 11 under a little later than we are now in 2024.
03:33Got into the playoffs.
03:33Got all the way to the NLCS.
03:36As I look at what they have now, the Holmes injury is devastating because you framed it well, John.
03:44He had been not only their best starter, he had been their most consistent good player this year from the
03:49beginning until his injury.
03:51His loss is significant.
03:52Also, personally, because he could have opted out at the end of this year, which I assume he still will
03:56because his arm is in good shape.
03:58But, like, he was in the midst of having a very good year.
04:01What do you see as far as – we've seen the Phillies rise after a terrible start and a manager
04:09change.
04:09It didn't happen for the Red Sox.
04:11Do you see an avenue here minus Holmes, minus Lindor probably for at least another three-ish weeks, minus Polanco
04:19and Robert for who knows how long because it doesn't feel like they're anywhere close to getting back or believable
04:24that they could stay healthy.
04:25Is there an avenue for the Mets to rise again?
04:30Well, I'll say this.
04:31Baseball is a very unpredictable game.
04:32I'm glad you reminded me.
04:34They were 11-under in 2024, and they came back and made it all the way to the LCS.
04:38So I never want to say never.
04:41The injuries certainly make this very, very difficult, I think.
04:44I mean, the Philly rise did not surprise me.
04:47They were clearly underperforming.
04:49But the Mets had injuries.
04:51I mean, Soto was out.
04:53Then Lindor was out.
04:53Now, Lindor is still out.
04:54You have three other position players out.
04:56They've lost their best pitcher.
04:57I mean, there's only so much depth the team can have.
05:01And I thought their depth was pretty good.
05:02I'm not sure.
05:03I think they like Thornton in the minors right now.
05:06Would I rule out completely Mania?
05:09You know, who knows what they might do.
05:11But it's certainly not going to be equal Holmes, whatever it is, because he was really outstanding for the team.
05:18But, you know, it is a 26-man game, and it's very unpredictable.
05:22Look at our standings now.
05:24Anyone think the White Sox would be over 500, that the Rays would be the second-best team in baseball,
05:29you know, that the Red Sox and the Mets and the Tigers would be struggling like they are, at least
05:34in terms of the records?
05:36So, I mean, it's very unpredictable.
05:38You never want to rule anything out.
05:40But I think the injuries make this difficult.
05:43I think that's, you know, we all kind of said Mendoza should not pay for this.
05:48It would have been ridiculous.
05:50It wasn't him.
05:52And, you know, I don't know in Philly what they were saying, but clearly that team was underperforming.
05:56I feel like the injuries have really, really sapped this team.
06:00But bringing in these kids has brought in some little bit of life.
06:05And, you know, these are better players than some of them.
06:09Bichette certainly is a better player than he showed him.
06:12Maybe he's getting used to New York a little bit or will get used to New York.
06:15I kind of think that's what it was for him.
06:17You know, not to blame him.
06:19It's happened to Alomar, to Beltran his first year, you know, by Eric.
06:25There were a lot of players that came over that were stars that really struggled initially.
06:30Lindor did his first year as well.
06:32So, you know, I think there's more in it for Bichette.
06:35You would hope so anyway.
06:36And so I'm not going to rule it out.
06:39It doesn't look like a great chance at this point, but there is a chance, as they say, as Jim
06:44Carrey would tell you.
06:45Yeah.
06:47Well, I don't know if I'm dumb or dumber.
06:49I think they've got a shot.
06:51But I just want to show you I got the reference.
06:53That was good.
06:54Yep.
06:55I think they've got a shot because I'm not sure, aside from the Dodgers, who are treating this like it's
07:01an annoyance as opposed to something they have to play because they know they're going to win their division and
07:06get the 95-ish wins, that there's really special teams in the National League.
07:11There might be good teams, but there's not a special.
07:13And so I feel that gives them an avenue.
07:16And I think the young players are beneficial on a couple of levels.
07:20Hey, if everything goes wrong and this isn't a good season, it's good to get their apprenticeship over with, get
07:25to learn a little about them if they're guys who can solve things moving forward or not.
07:29So there's that.
07:30The fan base, certainly through Friday night, was against this team if you were at the ballpark any time in
07:37the last few weeks.
07:38And there's a lot more patience for young and a lot more desire to see young and homegrown do well.
07:44So I think there's that.
07:45The other thing is, and I think this is how I'm going to transition to the Yankees, John, is you
07:50mentioned the fickleness of baseball.
07:53Luke Weaver and Devin Williams were atrocious in April.
07:58And they've combined for 14 shutout innings in May.
08:01And they were two of the biggest reasons the Mets won, especially on Saturday because of Weaver, but Saturday and
08:07Sunday suddenly.
08:08And the fact that they're not there with the Yankees anymore.
08:10Now, I would not have gone back to either guy, but it just shows how fickle it is.
08:14The Yankees bullpen was pretty good in April.
08:16It's been a disaster in May, especially on this road trip.
08:19And I want to give credit where credit is due.
08:21And that credit is to you because you began to say in spring training to me, and you have said
08:25on this show for sure, that you do not think David Bednar is a closer, that you think he's more
08:31should be an eighth inning guy possibly.
08:33I think I've come to that belief.
08:35I think there is a John Wettlandish quality to him, which is he's a high wire guy.
08:39Does he get the three outs before he gives up the runs or not?
08:43But this has not been good.
08:45If their bullpen had been good on this road trip, they have a four and five or five and four
08:49road trip, and we don't think much of where they are right now.
08:52They're still kind of generally flying.
08:55But I'll just end it with this thought.
08:57But all of those guys who are ex-Yankees on the Mets were guys who got replaced as closers or
09:03replaced somebody as closers.
09:04Holmes replaced Chapman.
09:07Weaver replaced Holmes.
09:09Weaver replaced Williams.
09:13Williams then replaced Weaver, and both were replaced by Bednar.
09:16The reason I'm bringing it up, John, is I don't see the guy who's going to step in for Bednar
09:21here.
09:22And I think that's a problem.
09:25Yeah, and we don't know who's going to be available in terms of the bullpen arms.
09:28And as we mentioned last week, Rose Chapman, while great with the Red Sox, he was never great with the
09:33Yankees.
09:34And we don't know if they're going to actually make trades.
09:37Anyway, as I read in your column today, they were 540 ERA.
09:42The bullpen was on this trip, two and seven trip.
09:46Four different guys at a blown save.
09:50That's not good.
09:51Bednar has been their main closer.
09:53I think he's got a lot of guts.
09:55I give him credit for that.
09:58He wants the ball.
09:59I just don't know that he has the stuff in this day and age to be the closer.
10:04And it's vital.
10:05I mean, there aren't many Mariano Rivera's.
10:07San Diego happens to have one now.
10:10They got a plus seven run differential, yet they're 10 games over.
10:13That's how valuable a great closer is.
10:16But I'm not sure where it's coming from.
10:18To me, their bullpen is statistically it's above average.
10:22Aaron Boone, of course, keeps telling us it's better than we think.
10:24I hope so, because I don't think it's very good at all.
10:27I pray that it's better than I think anyway.
10:30But I do think they are going to need reinforcements.
10:32I mean, obviously, you've got guys in there who are professionals.
10:36But are they shut down guys?
10:38I think Cruz has been good.
10:39I think Hill and Hedrick have been pretty good.
10:44Bednar, at this point, has a 4-9-5 ERA with more hits than innings.
10:47So to me, he's not the answer as the closer.
10:51But, you know, are they going to put Cruz in there as the closer?
10:54I don't know.
10:55Maybe at some point.
10:56But the answer's not coming from outside anytime soon, I don't think.
11:01I think it's hard to be an elite closure if you walk as many guys as Cruz and have as
11:05many bad counts as Cruz has over and over again.
11:08Williams walks a lot of guys, too.
11:11I don't have the stats in front of me.
11:13But, you know, obviously, he's got a real out pitch.
11:16And Cruz has a good splitter.
11:18But he doesn't have quite the out pitch that Devin Williams has with that changeup.
11:21If I were going to look at the Yankees for the avenue to get this better, I think this is
11:28maybe the right use of irony.
11:29It's a coincidence at the least.
11:31I would look at the 2018 Brewers, who, by the way, their GM was David Stearns.
11:39And that team – now, that team had something the Yankees didn't.
11:43They had a great reliever in Josh Hader.
11:46They also had something the Yankees didn't.
11:48They had not very good starting pitching.
11:49The Yankees do.
11:50But ultimately, that team turned three starters, young starters, Peralta, Woodruff, and Corbin Burns into bullpen guys that year.
12:00And then they made two trades at the deadline.
12:03They got Joachim Soria and Xavier Cedeno.
12:06And that is kind of, I think, the best team they've had in this whole run.
12:12They got to Game 7 of the NLCS against the Dodgers.
12:14And they did so because of all those guys.
12:16Like, their bullpen was great.
12:18They played a scramble.
12:19If you remember, Wade Miley pitched one batter in that postseason as a starter, and they were using it.
12:24The one that interests me the most in that group, John, is Corbin Burns.
12:28He began the season as one of the better prospects in baseball, like a top 50 to 75 prospect.
12:34He was starting in the minor leagues.
12:37And then in about mid-June, they said, our need is really in the bullpen.
12:40He spent two or three weeks transitioning to bullpen, then came up and threw 30 games, and he was really
12:47good.
12:48Really good.
12:48I just wonder if this is Carlos LeGran, LeGranje, at some point.
12:52If he does, if Ryan Weathers ends, at full health.
12:55If Freed gets back, if Cole gets back.
12:57Like, I think the best way for them to solve this is with their rotation depth.
13:02And I know you don't want to break down rotation depth in June because, you know, the Freed injury comes
13:06out of no place.
13:07And then suddenly you need a starter.
13:09But this bullpen could doom them if they don't fix it.
13:13And to your point, you're not going to be able to fix it until late July externally.
13:16And I just wonder at some point, do they have to bite the bullet a little bit a couple of
13:22weeks from now and see if they can transition at least one guy who's a good starter to help this
13:28group?
13:28Especially someone who might be able to miss bats like Weathers or LeGranje.
13:33Yeah, I mean, I'd like to see them try LeGranje in that role.
13:36I mean, the guy throws 103 miles an hour.
13:38That seems like a potential reliever.
13:40I know some of the scouts who watched him thought he probably is a reliever.
13:43The Yankees don't say that or apparently believe that.
13:47Anyway, but he does throw 103.
13:49You know, I don't know that everybody can do Corbin Burns and transition to the bullpen.
13:54But obviously, Weathers has good stuff.
13:57We've seen him throw up to 99 miles an hour.
14:01Potentially, he could do that.
14:03You know, Warren, I see, is more of a starter than a bullpen guy.
14:07But you never know, right?
14:08Phil Hughes became a great reliever, right?
14:10His velocity not more than ticked up.
14:13It shot up when he went to the bullpen, right?
14:16So maybe Warren is that guy.
14:17I don't know.
14:18But yeah, those are potentials.
14:21They seem like they have a lot of arms.
14:22We thought they had almost too many starters.
14:24Now, the Freed injury, now Cole, you know, come in there.
14:28And obviously, we have Elmer Rodriguez, who will step out for when Cole comes in originally.
14:33So, you know, they have a lot of starters.
14:36They can't afford to do that.
14:38I still like to see La Grande in that role.
14:41Well, 103 miles an hour plays.
14:44No doubt.
14:45And I think eventually that's his destiny for the 2026 season, at least, is to help this
14:50bullpen internally before they could do something externally.
14:53John, I could guarantee you one guy who's not going to the bullpen is Cam Schlittler,
14:58who's leading the major leagues in ERA and has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball
15:03since he showed up last year in the Yankees' lives.
15:06And he's going to show up in our lives.
15:08He joins us next on the show.
15:14You know, I hope I don't either embarrass or jinx our guests, but I do want to point
15:20out that at the moment, Cam Schlittler is joining us.
15:23He's leading the major leagues in ERA, 135.
15:25He's leading the American League in batting average against 168.
15:29And he plays for an historic organization.
15:30And by the way, ERA became an official stat in 1912.
15:35First 24 regular season starts.
15:38It's the second best in history is Cam Schlittler's 223 for the New York Yankees through 24.
15:44I'd never heard of Herm Thurmherland, but he's the only guy who's the head of him.
15:50Cam, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
15:53Yeah, thanks for having me, guys.
15:54I'm excited to be here.
15:56Cam, look, it's an oft-asked question.
15:58And I wonder if I could just, like, narrow it to if you have a single thought or two.
16:04Your journey is an amazing journey from a seventh-round pick, a northeastern cold-weather city not known as a
16:12baseball power,
16:14a 90-mile-an-hour fastball, to a guy who is in Cy Young contention right now and was, you
16:22know, a revelation last season right through the playoffs.
16:27What are the key things or two in this journey from where you started to why you're sitting here right
16:33now?
16:33Yeah, you know, I think obviously the biggest thing, you know, being from the Northeast, right, you know, we don't
16:37have, there's not a ton of, you know, highly touted prospects out of there.
16:41But, you know, Coach Glavin over there, you know, he taught us how to kind of have that blue-collar
16:45mentality that, you know, I think I've carried, you know, with me since, you know, joining the organization.
16:50So, kind of being the underdog a little bit, you know, slipping a little bit my junior year, you know,
16:55coming towards the draft.
16:56And then, you know, again, had a great relationship with the Yankees.
16:59You know, that's where I wanted to be.
17:00Matt Hyde, you know, we had a really great connection.
17:02So, I put a lot of trust, you know, into the Yankees and the organization.
17:06And, you know, again, I'm starting to see the benefits of the hard work and, you know, what I've learned
17:11in the three years I've been here.
17:13You know, being from the Northeast, Walpole, Massie, you probably had fewer eyes on you as an amateur.
17:18So, that could have been part of the reason that you weren't that highly recruited.
17:23How many schools were after you?
17:26And when did you actually believe that you could be a major league pitcher?
17:30Probably after my freshman season.
17:33I think I took it, you know, a little bit more seriously.
17:35You know, you kind of come into college, like, right, yeah, everyone wants to play professional baseball, but it's not
17:39that easy.
17:40So, you're like, yeah, you know, if I can, you know, get drafted before the 10th round, whatever it is.
17:45So, that was kind of like a good mediocre goal after my freshman year.
17:48And then, again, you know, we have the COVID, too.
17:50You know, COVID kind of cancels the freshman year.
17:53But, you know, I saw I was performing, you know, in the few starts I had before we got canceled.
17:58So, you know, again, took the time in the spring, you know, summer to work out, get stronger.
18:04And, you know, I came in sophomore year, I felt a lot better about myself.
18:08I was able to get the velo up a little bit.
18:10Now, the average velo wasn't there, but, you know, the peak velo was there, you know, to an extent.
18:16So, kind of heading into that sophomore year, you know, it's kind of where I put myself on the map.
18:20And, you know, I was pretty confident, you know, after talking to, you know, teams that, you know, I had
18:25a good shot to go pro.
18:27Yeah, just so for our listeners, I'm going to do it real quick.
18:30You mentioned Coach Glavin, that's Mike Glavin, Tom's brother, who was the head coach at Northeastern.
18:37And Matt Hyde, who's the great Yankee scout, who is responsible for the Yankees doing a lot of winning this
18:44year as anything,
18:44because he found Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice.
18:49Cam, miles per hour obviously have been added.
18:53Repertoire has expanded.
18:55Take us into that, how velocity has increased and your ability to adapt.
19:00You know, a cutter was not a big pitch probably at this time last year.
19:04And you could argue it's one of the five best pitchers that anybody's throwing in the sport this year.
19:08For sure.
19:09Again, added the cutter probably around this time last year.
19:14You know, my last start in AA before I got called up to AAA.
19:18You know, Sam, you know, showed up.
19:20You know, Sam Breen showed up.
19:21And, you know, again, like still was working on that splitter from last spring training that, you know, just I
19:28didn't really throw in games.
19:29I was trying to get good results, you know.
19:31And so I kind of dropped that, dropped the gyro.
19:34You know, they came back to me analytically and they're like, all right, let's throw a cutter.
19:37Again, I naturally supinate, right?
19:39So that was an easy pitch for me to throw.
19:42And, you know, I learned it two days, you know, before my start in a bullpen.
19:46I was like, all right, I'm gonna go out there and throw it.
19:47I think it was against the Guardians AA.
19:49I found really good success with that.
19:52And then obviously, you know, went to AAA, you know, had really good success with that as well.
19:55But in terms of looking at the velo, you know, obviously I had a little bit of a spike, you
19:59know, from AA last year to AAA.
20:01And then in the majors, you know, in 24, you know, I went from sitting 93 to 95 by the
20:08end of the year.
20:09And then, you know, from last year, obviously I went from sitting 95 at the beginning of the year to,
20:14you know, averaging 98 towards the end of the season.
20:17So, again, I'm gonna credit myself, obviously, for putting in that work.
20:22But, you know, the Yankees organization obviously gave me the tools to, you know, to do what I need to
20:28do with it.
20:28But, and again, it's really important if you're gonna take advantage of that.
20:31So, and I did, you know, I added weight on, cleaned up the mechanics from going into 24 season.
20:37You know, I haven't really had to make adjustments since then.
20:41Yeah, I had 15 pounds, you know, cleaned up the mechanics.
20:45And that was really, that was really all it was.
20:47You really have shocked the world with this 1-3 ERA through, you know, a quarter of the season.
20:54Have you surprised yourself?
20:55Do you have to pinch yourself sometimes?
20:56Do you keep looking at the ERA leader chart?
20:59Or do you believe that this is really going on?
21:03Yeah, again, like, I'm confident in myself.
21:05I'm confident in the guys behind me.
21:06I'm confident in this organization.
21:08So, I expect myself to perform at the highest level.
21:15I specifically don't care too much about ERA.
21:18You know, it's a misleading stat that can get blown out of proportion.
21:23You know, there's a lot of guys with higher ERAs that probably shouldn't have higher ERAs.
21:26And guys with, you know, lower ERAs that should maybe have higher ones.
21:30So, you know, we don't, as an organization, the ERA isn't probably the biggest stat in terms of looking at
21:35success.
21:36Now, is it pretty to see that low number?
21:39Yeah, definitely.
21:40It's definitely a good feeling.
21:43But the fact that my underlying metrics, you know, back up that ERA is probably more important.
21:48Cam, well, look, dig into that a little more for us.
21:50What do you look at to know that matters to you and to know that you're on the right course?
21:56Yeah, you know, I think, obviously, you know, you're trying to get quality starts right.
22:01Now, you're going to look at your game results.
22:04And sometimes, you know, it might be misleading, you know.
22:07Sometimes you're going to let up, you know, a lot of weak contact hits and your stat line is not
22:11going to look so good.
22:12And then sometimes you're going to have a really good stat line, but the underlining metrics aren't so good.
22:16So, you know, in terms of what I'm looking at, you know, it's going to be, you know, your K
22:20percentage, your walk percentage, your contact quality.
22:25Again, limiting damage and getting miss in zone is important to me.
22:29And at the end of the day, you know, if you're going six innings, getting a quality start, putting your
22:33team in the position,
22:34and at the end of the day, the results are really all that matters.
22:37So, but confidently, you know, when I look at my starts and I have meetings after my starts and, you
22:43know,
22:43we look at the numbers and, you know, how my stuff is performing compared to other guys that, you know,
22:47I'm confident that I'm in a good position right now.
22:51You really seem to rise to the occasion.
22:53I mean, your best start ever was against your hometown team, the Red Sox, in the playoffs, and a must
23:00-win game.
23:03You know, how do you deal with the biggest games?
23:06And do you get nervous at all?
23:08It doesn't feel like you do.
23:10Not really.
23:11Again, I feel like the big games I've had, you know, I mean, I've, you know,
23:15sleep has been super important to me, right?
23:17So, I'm trying to get better at that stuff.
23:20You know, I'm wearing my whoop.
23:21You know, I'm looking at, you know, my strain and my recovery and all that.
23:24And, you know, when I wake up, and it can be misleading as well, but, you know,
23:27when I wake up, you know, on the day of my start and, you know, I have a, you know,
23:3180-plus recovery score,
23:33you know, it's a good feeling.
23:34You know, it shows that I'm relaxed.
23:37You know, I'm in control and, you know, I'm prepared, you know, the way I need to be prepared.
23:41So, whether it's the, you know, biggest game of my life or it's another start, you know,
23:46I try to keep those, you know, treat those the same.
23:48And, yeah, I like to rise to the occasion.
23:51And, you know, those more important starts are, you know, have to have more buzz around them.
23:57That's something I'm definitely going to be a little bit more locked in for.
24:00So, when you're a Yankee, the first thing they look for is obviously excellence, right?
24:04But then there's boxes that need to get checked.
24:07Can you handle the postseason?
24:08Check.
24:09Can you handle Fenway Park?
24:11Check.
24:12Can you handle the Subway Series?
24:14Friday night?
24:15That became a check also.
24:17And you mentioned it's clear that your confidence is high.
24:21Where does it come from?
24:22Because those are the, it feels like the games you better have it.
24:25Yeah, again, it is a good feeling when, you know, you look at those important series in terms of, you
24:31know,
24:31Yankees fans' eyes and, you know, those are probably your best games.
24:34You know, again, that's a great feeling.
24:36But I think in terms of just, again, the way my parents raised me, you know, the way I was
24:40brought up,
24:41you know, you're not going to take anything for granted, right?
24:42You want to be humble.
24:44You want to be confident in yourself and the guys around you.
24:47So, for me specifically, you know, I've kind of always been that way.
24:54And I feel like, you know, people feed the fire pretty quickly.
24:57And, again, it just makes it easier for me to, you know, push to be better and put my team
25:02in a position to win game.
25:03You know, the story was told at the time when you faced your hometown team, the reaction from the Red
25:10Sox fans.
25:10I know you grew up as a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Mass.
25:15Tell us about that, how you dealt with it, and how is it now?
25:18How was it in the offseason, and how is it now?
25:20Are you still hearing from upset Red Sox fans since you beat their team?
25:25Yeah, I mean, it's been going on for, you know, six months or however long it is.
25:30You know, again, like that's always going to be there, and that's from me.
25:33But, again, you know, first thing I will say is when I went home in the offseason, I wasn't expecting,
25:38you know, a warm welcome.
25:39But, again, every interaction I had there was great.
25:43And you kind of underestimate, you know, how good, you know, most people are, right?
25:47You know, you look at the social media, and you look at, you know, people, you know, in person and
25:53the overall, you know, fan base.
25:57And you realize, hey, like, you just take out these people that are, you know, hiding behind a screen.
26:01You know, they're just like everyone else, and they're pretty good people.
26:05So, again, I have a lot of love for being from there and my friends and family that are from
26:11there.
26:13And, you know, they've treated me really well since I've been back there.
26:17They've treated me well when I went to Red Sox Stadium.
26:19And, again, like I had a lot of fun being back there for a little bit in the offseason.
26:23But, again, New York's the place I want to be.
26:26There's been some comparisons.
26:28It's a heck of a comparison to being almost like a young Garrett Cole because of the power, because of
26:34the precision, because of the depth of your repertoire.
26:39What's it like to actually have old Garrett Cole around as maybe a sounding board?
26:44Yeah, you know, Garrett's great.
26:45You know, I think the whole thing about the young Garrett Cole thing is, like, for some reason, people think
26:50we look alike a little bit.
26:52So, you know, I'm asking him a little bit about that, so it's kind of funny.
26:56But, again, he's great.
27:00He's so good.
27:00I'm very excited for him to be back here, you know, within, you know, X amount of weeks.
27:05So he's the guy.
27:08You know, he is an ace, and I'm very excited to get him back here.
27:12So he's looked great all spring.
27:14You know, he's looked good in his rehabs.
27:16The results aren't always the most important thing, right?
27:18So he's working on the things he's needing to work on.
27:21And, again, he's easily a top-five pitcher, you know, in baseball when he's back on the mound.
27:27So, you know, we could use that kind of extra, you know, reinforcements.
27:32But, you know, obviously, unfortunately, Max, you know, getting, you know, put down for a little bit.
27:38But, again, I'm very excited for what Garrett's going to bring to this rotation.
27:41Tell us about the team.
27:42How do you think things are going?
27:44Overall, it got off to a great start.
27:46Obviously, the road trip didn't go perfectly, but do you feel pretty good about where this team stands right now?
27:53Yeah, we're in a great state.
27:54You know, again, we have a very tight bond in the locker room, and that's something that's very important.
27:58You know, we have a winning culture.
28:00Again, you know, the road trip wasn't a success, but, you know, it's early.
28:04We're going to have trips like that.
28:07You know, it's baseball.
28:08You know, if everything goes well, you know, we're going to probably lose, you know, at least 50 more games.
28:13You know, that's just how the sport goes.
28:16But, again, I'm very confident in the guys in here, and I know no one's very worried at all about,
28:22again, the last road trip we had.
28:25But, again, that's baseball.
28:26We got two important series coming up right now, and, you know, I hope there's a fire kind of under
28:32everyone's ass, you know, how the season ended last year.
28:35So I'm very excited to, you know, see how it plays out this week.
28:38Do you sense there's a fire under everyone's ass on how the season ended last year, and do you think
28:43it will help this team?
28:44It should be.
28:45I mean, I definitely feel it, and I've got to wait two days to pitch.
28:49So, you know, it's frustrating.
28:51You know, I don't think that necessarily they were a better team than us.
28:54I think they just outplayed us in the important moments.
28:58So, again, there's a lot to learn from the end of last year.
29:02And, you know, I think there's a little bit of extra chip on our shoulder that, you know, we can
29:07perform at the highest level, and we can win a championship and bring one back here.
29:10So this will be a really good first test, you know, coming up here this week.
29:14The subway series didn't go as planned for the Yankees, but it did for you.
29:18You seem to enjoy it.
29:20What did you think about your foray into the subway series?
29:23Yeah, obviously the result was frustrating.
29:25But, you know, again, can take positives out of Friday.
29:28And, you know, I think, again, I still think we played really good baseball, you know, over the weekend.
29:36You know, we just, it just got away from us a little bit there at the end.
29:39So I thought the atmosphere was great.
29:42Environment was great.
29:43A lot of Yankees fans there.
29:45So it was a lot of fun.
29:47You know, it's good to go on the road and see a lot of Yankees fans, you know, wherever we
29:51go, especially back, you know, in New York.
29:53I've never been there, so it was a really cool experience to be a part of that.
29:56So it's unfortunate what happened to Klay.
29:59But, you know, I thought it was a lot of fun going up against him and, again, able to get
30:04the win on Friday.
30:05Cam, as a way to maybe wrap this up, you mentioned you used the term an ace for Garrett Cole.
30:13What do you think it takes to be an ace?
30:15And do you think you're on the way there?
30:17Yeah, you know, I think, you know, before the season starts, you look at our, you know, rotation.
30:22I'm like, you see three aces there.
30:23You know, you got Gary, you got Max, you got Carlos.
30:25Three veteran season guys that, you know, have played a huge part in this team's success.
30:31So, and then, you know, obviously you look at me and Will and Ryan and obviously Louis as well in
30:37the back end.
30:38And I think we have a really strong rotation.
30:40So, again, I think ace is something that takes a long time to develop.
30:48You know, you have to be able to have success, sustain that success, and continue to be healthy for X
30:55amount of years.
30:55You know, whether there's labels on me or not, again, I still have a lot more to prove and I
31:00have a lot more to learn from, you know, the real aces on the team, right?
31:03So, again, I want to do whatever I can to help this team win games.
31:10And the guys in the locker room next to me are going to probably contribute to most of that.
31:15So, again, I'm really excited for Gary to get back in here, for Max to come back healthy, and I
31:20think we're going to be in a really good spot.
31:21Well, Cam, obviously there's a lot more ahead, a lot to prove.
31:25But through 24 starts and one postseason, it's hard to do much better than you've done.
31:32And I think I'll speak for John here also.
31:35That includes how you handle yourself as a young player in an interview like this and in the clubhouse with
31:40your availability and how interesting you are.
31:42So we appreciate that, and we thank you for joining us on the show.
31:46Yeah, I appreciate you guys for the support.
31:47And, again, it's fun to come on here and talk to you guys.
31:50Thanks, Cam.
31:52Thanks, guys. Have a good one.
31:53Thanks, Cam.
31:59John and I, of course, thank Cam Schlittler for joining us on the show.
32:03John, hit or error?
32:04I'm going to give a hit.
32:05It's not related to performance, but Ali Marmol bought 1,000 tickets for young college guys and gave them away,
32:13and I think he paid for them.
32:14I don't know if the Cardinals reimbursed him or not, but I think it was a great idea and a
32:19great thought.
32:19And, you know, we've had Terry Francona on.
32:22One, he's not making $6 million like Terry Francona.
32:25That's a substantial portion of his weekly paycheck that he's going out to the tickets.
32:30And he's done a pretty good job managing, too.
32:32So, hats off to Ali Marmol.
32:36Right.
32:36And Cardinals want to surprise teams this year.
32:38We thought this was a rebuild.
32:39Yes.
32:40On the early third of the season, they've been way more than that.
32:44John, I'm going to see if I can change this up by saying the Yankees better have a hit this
32:49week and not an error.
32:51They did not play well on this road trip.
32:53They did not play well in the subway series.
32:56And now the next week, the next seven, are Toronto and Tampa Bay.
33:00And they're both interesting opponents.
33:04As Cam Schletler pointed out, they're the team that dominated the Yankees in the regular season, which is why, even
33:10though they both finished with 94 wins last year, the Blue Jays won the regular season series and won the
33:15ALEs and had a home field advantage in a division series where they humiliated the Yankees.
33:20They overwhelmed them and beat them.
33:24And the last thing the Yankees want to do, the Blue Jays have generally not played well this season, is
33:30reopen the door to the Blue Jays, who played a little better over the weekend.
33:33Vlad Guerrero finally was hitting terribly, had a game Sunday.
33:36And, of course, nobody beats up the Yankees quite like Vlad Guerrero Jr.
33:40And now he's coming to the stadium for several days.
33:43And will it last the whole season?
33:44I have no idea about the Rays, but they have the best record in the American League, as we're speaking.
33:50Whatever magic they have about how they put a team together, this is a week where the Yankees could reestablish
33:57who's the kings of the ALEs and who's not, or they could begin to make their life a lot more
34:02complicated and difficult.
34:05Yeah, I mean, I guess that's, is that an error?
34:09No, I guess it's an error.
34:10I said they better have a hint to avoid an error.
34:12I like it.
34:13Okay, that's good.
34:14That's good.
34:15You know, neither of our teams have really played a tough schedule to this point, right?
34:18I pointed out that the Mets hadn't beat a winning team since March, back in Friday's column.
34:27And then they beat the Yankees twice, so that they did beat a winning team twice.
34:31But the Yankees also hadn't beat the winning team in a long time either, right?
34:35They had like one win against the winning team.
34:37Both teams have played very easy schedules.
34:40We might feel very good about the Yankees generally and a little better about the Mets.
34:44But neither team has really played the real tough part of their schedule yet.
34:49And certainly, I do believe that the Jays have a lot of talent, even if the record doesn't show it.
34:54And the Rays, I mean, look, they got twice as many wins as losses.
34:57So we know that's a good team, even if I didn't predict that they would be once again.
35:02So, yeah, this is a nice little test for the Yankees here.
35:06And they're going to have to play better than they did on that road, 2-7 road trip.
35:10Yeah, they didn't play well.
35:12Look, the bullpen was the biggest culprit, but they did not play well.
35:15The length of their lineup wasn't good.
35:17There was some really ungraceful stuff on the field as well.
35:20They better clean it up this week or they're going to create some pre-Memorial Day hassles
35:25or actual Memorial Day coming up now when we traditionally look at the standings, some hassles.
35:31Tommy Hogan, our producer, this was another quick turnaround to do this show.
35:35John did a great job, by the way, getting Cam Schlittler.
35:38I forgot to mention that at the top.
35:39It's not difficult.
35:41The guy's very incredible.
35:43He's very good, but I do want to acknowledge you.
35:45We were split in two different clubhouses, and you went and got him in the Yankee clubhouse.
35:49So I always appreciate everything John does.
35:52He works his butt off harder than anybody else in the business.
35:56And how hard Tommy Hogan works for us.
35:59Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts, please rate and review us.
36:05Give us a view on the New York Post Sports YouTube page.
36:10And please continue to stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and John Hayman.
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