Cam Schlittler's provocative comments on Blue Jays just made Yankees fans proud

Having a dominant fire-breathing ace is a blessing that most teams cannot boast. Having one who also has the ability to get under an opponent's skin and into their head without even stepping on the mound is another thing altogether. The New York Yankees have all of that, rolled up into one, in Cam Schlittler.

After tormenting the Boston Red Sox both on and off the field several times, now, Schlittler set his sights on another division rival: the Toronto Blue Jays. The 25-year-old fastball artist took a dig at Toronto ahead of his June 13 start against them. The Jays were a team that tortured the Yankees a year ago, and his comments had Yankees fans beaming with pride.

“They’re easy to rage-bait, I think. All that stuff last year in the playoffs or whatever it is — they’ve got a whole country behind them, so there’s a lot. They’re passionate about it. You respect them for that, but I don’t really like them. They ended our season last year. I hope everyone’s got that chip on their shoulder."

The Yankees finished 5-8 last year during the regular season against the Blue Jays, which cost them the AL East title. Toronto then bounced New York from the postseason in the ALDS. The Blue Jays advanced to the World Series and then spent $340 million over the winter (American dollars, not Canadian) to try to get over the hump after falling short against the Dodgers. They currently sit at 34-38 on the year.

Yankees ace Cam Schlittler has the swagger to change team's identity

Schlittler went out and walked the walk after talking the talk. It wasn't a completely flawless performance (he allowed six hits and a season-high four walks), but the righty also fanned seven and allowed just one run over seven innings. Most importantly, his array of fastballs dominated, representing 98 of his 101 pitches. It was part of the larger dismantling of Toronto by New York.

It was a welcome sign that he's breaking out of the mini-slump he's been in. Over his last three starts, including the June 13 outing against Toronto, the Northeastern product has struck out 15 batters over 17 innings, posting a 3.18 ERA in the process. For most, that's stellar work, but when he entered June with a 10.13 K/9 and 1.50 ERA, it represented a rut.

In reality, there was only one truly bad start among his June outings, which came on June 2 against the Cleveland Guardians. Schlittler lasted just 4 1/3 and gave up five runs (four earned) while striking out three. Most concerning was his drop in four-seamer velocity, from a season average of 97.7 miles per hour to just 96.8 miles per hour against Cleveland.

Schlittler insisted that there was nothing to worry about, and against Toronto he was cranking his heater back up to that otherworldly tier, averaging 98 miles per hour on the four-seamer for the duration of his start.

Beyond the stellar performance, what you see in Schlittler, and what his subtle digs at his rivals prove, is a hurler who is extremely confident. That's what aces are made of.

There's also a certain intimidation factor when he is on the bump. While past Yankees aces like Roger Clemens and CC Sabathia were known for some demonstrative showings, barking at opposing hitters and strutting around the mound as if they were the biggest and baddest roosters in the barn, Schlittler instead has an icy mound presence.

The youngster more closely resembles Andy Pettitte, though he hasn't yet mastered that trademark seething glare coming from just above his glove. Still, it's a unflappable calm that he possesses that, when contrasted with his collection of blazing fastballs, can be so unsettling for the opposition.

Simply put, the kid has the right mentality, the ability to rattle his opponent with his words, and keep them uncomfortable with his mound presence, all the while deploying one of the most electric arsenals you'll see in the game today. If that's not a true, fire-breathing ace, well then, we don't know what is.

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