AL East Takes Over the Wild Card as Pitchers Chase History
AL East Pitcher Milestones
This is why they play 162.
The Toronto Blue Jays added yet another series victory to their late season surge this weekend, while an AL East sweep led by the Yankees and Red Sox now sit atop the American League Wild Card standings.
However, thanks must be given where it's due. Without the extraordinary numbers and accomplishments of their pitchers, who knows where the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and especially the Toronto Blue Jays would be at this point in the season? These teams remain firmly in the hunt for October, with just under twenty games remaining in the 2026 season.
Here are four pitchers who are approaching or reaching a significant milestone. One has racked up nine more strikeouts to add to a formidable season total. Another continues to pad his Hall of Fame resume after reaching a milestone that very few others have managed to surpass. Two Blue Jays relief specialists are also making their own run at history, with one appearing on track to set a modern MLB record that often flies under the radar, while the other aims to surpass a total set by a legend from the franchise's golden years.
Cam Schlittler: The Fireballer With Impeccable Control
Cam Schlittler continues to impress and make a strong case for the American League Cy Young Award. With nine strikeouts through eight innings in his last start, a game the Yankees ultimately won in extra innings, Schlittler now has 210 for the season.
Cam Schlittler Profile (Baseball Reference)
That puts him within reach of the Yankees record for strikeouts by a second year starter in a single season. Luis Severino set the mark in 2017 with an incredible 230 strikeouts during the first of his two All Star seasons as the Yankees ace.
Now, in 2026, Schlittler, with respect to Gerrit Cole, has emerged as New York's best starting pitcher. With what will likely be four starts remaining for the 25-year old, Schlittler should indeed pass Severino's impressive mark before the regular season is finished.
Aroldis Chapman: 400 Saves and Counting
The ageless closer is still shoving heat in excess of 100 mph as the Red Sox shutdown closer.
The left hander has had periods of ups and downs throughout his 17 year career, but has shown some of his best work over the past two seasons.
He is now just the ninth pitcher in MLB history to collect 400 career saves.
Even more remarkably, his command appears to be getting better. Chapman posted an amazing 0.701 WHIP in 2025, along with an ERA of 1.17. In 2026, he followed that up with another outstanding season, carrying a 2.08 ERA into the final weeks.
Aroldis Chapman 2026 Metrics (Baseball Savant)
At an age (38), when most closers are long gone from the back end of a bullpen, Chapman continues to find a way to get outs.
Tyler Rogers and Mason Fluharty: The Blue Jays' One Two Punch
The combination of Tyler Rogers and Mason Fluharty has been ideal for the seventh and eighth innings for the Blue Jays, a team that appeared to be out of the race one month ago, and is now very much in the Wild Card scenario.
Rogers has 31 holds, tied with Atlanta Braves relief specialist Dylan Lee for the MLB lead. The single season record is 41, first set in 2013 and matched in 2015.
Given the frequency with which Jays manager John Schneider likes to use Rogers, Fluharty, and All Star closer Luis Varland in their clearly defined roles, it is reasonable to believe that Rogers could break the MLB record by season's end.
Jays relievers ranked by games pitched (Fangraphs)
What Is a Hold?
A hold, or (HLD) on the scorecard, is awarded to a relief pitcher who enters the game in a save situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game while maintaining or “holding” the lead.
Some may dismiss the stat as being meaningless in the vault of baseball analytics and preserved records. In the heat of a Wild Card race, though, where every out can have implications in terms of wins and losses and ultimately which teams make the playoffs, the work of these relievers becomes far more significant.
Mason Fluharty Chasing Blue Jays History
Fluharty, who is now 6 and 1 after working tirelessly out of the bullpen for the Jays, has an MLB leading 76 appearances on the mound.
While the all-time lead in this statistical category is not currently in the conversation, the franchise mark for games in a season by a pitcher was set in 1987 by Mark Eichhorn.
That season, Eichhorn was the go-to guy in long relief for the Blue Jays, appearing in 89 games and tossing 127 innings. The sidearmer, with a delivery similar to Rogers, was integral in solidifying one of the best bullpens in the American League during the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Fluharty has proven to be just as dependable this season.
The mark of 89 games is now within his crosshairs.