The New York Yankees opened their road trip with a 1-0 win Friday, and they needed every bit of Cam Schlittler’s best work to get there. Paul Goldschmidt supplied the only run with a solo homer in the fourth inning, and the Yankees held on after a late push from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Schlittler threw 7.1 innings, struck out 12 and allowed only three hits without a walk, the kind of line that changes the shape of a game even when the scoreboard stays tight. For one night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, he did more than keep the Yankees in front; he gave them a result that can travel, and one that strengthens the kind of case that gets noticed in Cy Young conversations.
The narrow margin mattered because the game never opened up. Even after Schlittler left with the lead intact, the Yankees still had to protect a 1-0 game, and that left no room for error. Brent Headrick came in during the eighth, allowed a single that loaded the bases, then got two straight outs to keep the Phillies from breaking through. David Bednar finished with a 1-2-3 ninth, closing the door before the pressure could turn into a loss.
That is what made Friday more than a one-swing win. The Yankees got dominant starting pitching, a lone homer from Goldschmidt and a bullpen that finished the job, which is the formula they will try to repeat as they move through a lengthy road trip. They also moved one step closer to trying to take the series outright, with the next game still hanging on who takes the mound for the Phillies.
