New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler and his family have received death threats ahead of his Fenway Park debut Thursday against the Boston Red Sox, though the 2-1 starter says he's "excited" for the opportunity. Schlittler, who grew up as a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Massachusetts, told the New York Post he hasn't felt the need to involve police despite the harassment. "Most normal fans could care less," he said. "It's just those diehards that have nothing else in their lives other than baseball."

The right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.95 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 27⅔ innings this season. Red Sox fans have trolled him relentlessly on social media since last year's playoffs. "They're gonna probably have dudes that are my age or a little bit younger, sitting right outside the bullpen, yelling whatever, probably throwing stuff at me," Schlittler predicted. "I know the guys are excited for it and I'm excited for it."

That animosity traces to Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, when Schlittler threw eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts to send the Red Sox packing. Afterward, he called the win "personal" after Boston fans had harassed him and his family. "There's a line and I think they crossed it a little bit," he said then. "They just picked the wrong guy to do it to and the wrong team to do it to."