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Yankees' Cam Schlittler Wins First Award After Stellar Season
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- Yankees' Cam Schlittler Wins First Award After Stellar Season
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler
The New York Yankees saw Cam Schlittler establish himself as one of the best pitchers in the sport, and he is bound to get plenty of recognition this award season.
Schlittler is likely to win the American League Cy Young Award very soon, but he has already been named the Major League Baseball Players Association American League Outstanding Pitcher.
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Unlike the Cy Young Award, this award was voted on by his fellow players.
"Baseball could be a very, you know, frustrating and humbling sport," Schlittler said in a video posted by the MLBPA. "I think when you go on a good run, and you have some success at the end of the year, you kind of look back and you're like, man, I love this game. If I didn't have this game, I don't know what I'd do with my life. And that's exactly how, you know, I feel about it now.
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"And I remember sitting there in elementary school, and they asked you what you want to do when you grow up. And I remember writing down that I want to be a professional baseball player. The dreams are always there. I think the expectations aren't. If I were to look back on high school or college to think I could do something like this, I would definitely agree with that. But realistically, it's a very hard thing to do."
Schlittler posted a 1.95 ERA, leading the American League. He made 33 starts and had 239 strikeouts on the year, and perhaps what's more impressive is that he did it in New York with all of the pressure and expectations.
"I feel like at the end of the day, it's a tough thing to put the pinstripes on," Schlittler said. "I feel you can handle that pressure you can really handle anything strike out."
He is the team's clear ace, and is expected to be for years to come. In a few weeks, he will officially be a Cy Young Award winner as well.
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