A 24-year-old right-hander who debuted July 9, Schlitter grew up a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Massachusetts, but said he wanted to play for the Yankees. He had pitched against the Red Sox only once before — as a freshman at Northeastern in a 2020 spring training exhibition game. Schlittler struck out two more than any other Yankees pitcher had in his postseason debut, allowing five singles in eight innings and walking none. David Bednar worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth as the Red Sox failed to advance a runner past second. The Red Sox cost themselves with a defense that committed a big league-high 116 errors during the regular season.