​Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesThe pitching change that unlocked Yankees ace Cam Schlittler’s Cy Young-caliber season appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Cam Schlittler started for the New York Yankees in Game 2 of their ALDS clash against the Tampa Bay Rays, and his start could not have come at a better time with the Yankees already down 1-0 in the series. Schlittler brings that air of confidence to the entire team, and rightfully so. After all, he posted an ERA of 1.96 in 2026 in 33 starts (193.2 innings of work), and he’s on track to win the AL Cy Young award as vindication for his stellar campaign.Schlittler was already good during his breakthrough in the big leagues in 2025. He recorded an ERA of 2.95 in 14 starts, and he impressed during the postseason as well. But the Yankees ace took the next step and became one of the best pitchers in the entirety of MLB thanks to this pitching change that made his curveball a more devastating weapon.“Some guys say, ‘Oh, I want to throw a pitch harder,’ and you’re like, ‘All right, that sounds good, but how are you gonna do that?’ And he actually just started throwing it harder,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said, per Gary Phillips of New York Daily News.Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)According to Fangraphs, Schlittler’s average curveball velocity jumped by multiple ticks, going from 83.3 mph in 2025 to 86.3 mph in 2026. The fact that he was able to do this without sacrificing the sharpness of his curveball makes him quite the unhittable pitcher.However, Schlittler’s Game 2 start for the Yankees lasted only 4.1 innings. He threw just 76 pitches before manager Aaron Boone pulled him after Chandler Simpson drove in the Rays’ third run of the contest.The defense has let the pitching down for the Yankees in Game 2. They have four errors on the night, and that simply is not going to cut it in the postseason.At the time of writing, the Rays are up by three runs, 5-2, in the bottom of the eighth as the Yankees stare at the possibility of going down 2-0 in the series.Related: Yankees’ Ryan McMahon sends strong message to NY fans before Yankee Stadium returnRelated: Aaron Boone is confident Yankees can respond to ‘difficult times’ down 0-2 vs. Rays