Ahead of his first professional start at Fenway Park, Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler anticipated he would receive the full villain treatment from Red Sox fans.
The 25-year-old Walpole native, who grew up rooting for the Sox, etched himself into rivalry lore last October with eight shutout innings in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. The heat was amplified recently on social media, where Schlittler said last week he received death threats from Boston fans.
Instead, Schlittler found the in-person reception Thursday didn’t match the online venom. He was greeted with mild fanfare during his pregame warmup in the visitors bullpen and light boos as he took the mound for the first inning.
Even without the added fuel from the stands, Schlittler proved his presence in the rivalry is here to stay. In another memorable performance against his childhood team, Schlittler went eight innings and gave up two runs (one earned) and four hits in a 4-2 Yankees win to finish off a sweep.
Read more from Matty Wasserman at BostonGlobe.com/Sports. | 
