NEW YORK – There are moments in sports that aren’t measured in points, but in tears. And on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, the crowd witnessed one such moment – when 23-year-old rookie Cam Schlittler stepped out to throw his first MLB pitch.
But it wasn’t just him who caught the eye, it was his parents, standing silently in the dugout, hands clenched, eyes red – breaking down in tears as they watched their son officially become a Yankee.
Cam, a product of Northeastern University, had just been called up to the big leagues after a string of injuries to the Yankees. When his name was announced over the stadium’s PA, both his parents jumped to their feet, hugging each other, speechless. A nearby fan said:
“The mother covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. The father whispered, ‘He did it… he really did it!’”
Schlittler threw just over 20 pitches in the eighth, allowing a walk but not a run. But it didn’t matter. The Yankees applauded as he walked to the dugout – and manager Aaron Boone himself patted him on the shoulder, nodding proudly.
“I didn’t look at the scoreboard… I just looked up at the stands.”
After the game, Cam said in the press room:
“I thought I was going to be nervous, but when I threw the first pitch, I looked up… and my mom was crying, and my dad was standing there with his hands clasped. I knew I was in the right place.”
