Cam Schlittler gives Red Sox fans another chance to take the bait with trolling confession

The venomous back-and-forth between New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler and Boston Red Sox fans truly is a gift that keeps on giving. Or ... is it a distraction? Many Yankees fans would've assumed that an ever-maturing Schlittler had moved on by now from the thrill of rage-baiting his fellow Massachusetts natives. But alas, he hasn't.

Schlittler recently spoke with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic ahead of the playoffs and, among other revelations, acknowledged for the first time his online feud involving a so-called "Red Sox-themed podcast" from a few weeks ago. Why are we talking about this with the postseason two days away? Because Schlittler chose to talk about this.

Yankees ace Cam Schlittler is still talking about trolling Red Sox fans online

In case you need a refresher on what happened: When a woman on the aforementioned podcast described Schlittler as "ugly", Schlittler responded with a comment calling the woman a “solid 4 with oversized sunglasses". He then deleted the comment, but not before Red Sox fans ran with it.

Now, Schlittler's taking ownership of the viral moment. In his conversation with Kuty, Schlittler pointed to it as a learning experience. “There’s no reason to get involved with those people on social media, right now at least,” Schlittler said, likely referring to the imminent postseason. This appears to be the first time Schlittler has acknowledged that the deleted tweet was real (and really him).

And yet, by bringing up the social media beef from weeks ago and reminding everyone of his deleted clap-back, isn't Schlittler doing exactly what he's saying he shouldn't be doing? Yes. Then again, Yankees fans won't criticize him for it if he keeps striking people out.

Cam Schlittler's Red Sox rage-baiting isn't a concern as long as he keeps dominating Boston

Schlittler's engagement with trolls was actually defensible last season when his own family was being targeted online. Even more admirable is that Schlittler appeared to use the situation as fuel for when he stepped on the mound. He pretty much single-handedly ended Boston's season in Game 3 of last year's Wild Card Series by fanning 12 Red Sox over an eight-inning masterclass.

Following the dominant outing, Schlittler couldn't help but troll Red Sox fans online. He made a "Drinking dat dirty water” post unprompted, showing that he's capable of initiating the beef, not just defending himself. Was it necessary for Schlittler to do this? Absolutely not. But it sure delighted plenty of Yankees fans, just as it incensed his growing number of haters on the other side of the rivalry.

Schlittler's soon-to-be crowned Cy Young season has been the greatest clap-back possible. He was right when he told Kuty that he really doesn't need to be engaging with fans online anymore. But just like the occasional Pete Crow-Armstrong tantrum, Schlittler's online wit is just a wacky part of his entire star package. To remove it entirely from the equation might take the edge off a bit and diminish his competitive fire. No one in Yankees Nation wants that.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow