New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake praised Cam Schlittler following the right-hander’s unanimous American League Cy Young Award win.

Schlittler received the honor Wednesday after his first full major league season. The 25-year-old finished with an AL-leading 1.95 ERA and struck out 239 batters across 33 starts.

Speaking on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM in a clip shared Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, Blake explained how Schlittler’s 2026 campaign exemplified the aggressive approach he wants the Yankees’ pitching staff to embrace.

“And you know, the big message for our whole group: just you know, you're not going to have as much margin for on the edges. Obviously, our catchers do a great job back there, but you know we've got to be more aggressive in the strike zone on the whole. And he's built to do that. You know he can live in the strike zone with his stuff.”

The 25-year old Cam Schlittler is a unanimous Cy Young Award winner.#Yankees | 🔗https://t.co/iXax8hxC8m pic.twitter.com/YcG0f5Mo1H

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 12, 2026

He averaged nearly five strikeouts per walk, pairing swing-and-miss ability with limited free passes throughout his first full MLB campaign.

Schlittler went 14-6, issuing 49 walks over 193 2/3 innings. His combination of strikeouts and control accompanied one of the lowest qualifying ERAs in Yankees history.

Only Spud Chandler’s 1.64 ERA in 1943 and Ron Guidry’s 1.74 in 1978 rank lower among the franchise’s qualifying starters.

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Schlittler received all 30 first-place votes for 210 points. Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease finished second, followed by Cleveland Guardians left-hander Parker Messick.

The Massachusetts native became the Yankees’ seventh Cy Young winner, joining Guidry and Gerrit Cole as the franchise’s unanimous recipients.

New York selected Schlittler in the seventh round of the 2022 draft out of Northeastern. Four years later, he holds the American League’s top pitching honor.

Schlittler’s unanimous selection capped a breakout season that established him among MLB’s premier pitchers.