Yankees' Schlittler excited about Fenway debut despite death threats

New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler is excited to pitch against the Boston Red Sox for the first time at Fenway Park, despite him and his family receiving death threats ahead of his start Thursday.

"I don't really care going in there that they kind of hate me," Schlittler said, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

"I don't have an issue with that. It really just gets me going a little bit."

Schlittler, who grew up cheering for the Red Sox, has faced intense backlash from Boston baseball fans since making his major-league debut in a Yankees uniform.

The hostility toward him only increased after he dominated the Red Sox in Game 3 of the Yankees' wild-card series win last season.

Schlitter recently told Brendan Kuty of The Athletic that he hears from Red Sox fans "every week" and "every day," so he expects plenty of animosity when he takes the Fenway Park mound for the first time.

"It's gonna be bad, it's gonna be bad. I'm not nervous about it, but it's gonna be loud," Schlittler said. "They're gonna probably have dudes that are my age or a little bit younger, sitting right outside the (visiting) bullpen, yelling whatever, probably throwing stuff at me, trying to grab me.

"That's kind of what I expect. So I know the guys are excited for it and I'm excited for it."

Schlittler owns a 1.95 ERA and 0.85 FIP in five starts this season and will pitch Thursday opposite Red Sox starter Brayan Bello.