Schlittler gets the ball. The Yankees need more than belief.

Cam Schlittler takes the ball Monday night with the Yankees down 1-0 in the ALDS. That is enough pressure without asking him to perform magic. The Yankees need the pitcher they have seen all year, and they need the lineup to give him a game he can actually win.

The excitement around Schlittler is earned. He went 8-2 with a 1.16 ERA in 17 road starts and led the majors in road ERA, road strikeouts, opponent batting average and road WHIP. On July 6 at Tropicana Field, he gave the Rays eight innings of one-run baseball with eight strikeouts and no walks.

The excitement is earned

He also arrives with October proof. Schlittler worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out 10 against Boston in the Wild Card Series. None of that guarantees another masterpiece. It does explain why Yankee fans see possibility instead of panic when he walks to the mound.

Tampa Bay is not offering a soft landing. Freddy Peralta went 5-0 with a 0.79 ERA over his final six regular-season starts. He posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in his last four starts at the Trop. This is a serious pitching matchup, not a one-man showcase.

The other starter is not scenery

The burden is heavier because Aaron Judge is not on the ALDS roster while recovering from a right calf strain. New York managed only one hit in a 1-0 Game 1 loss. Schlittler can change the feel of the series, but he cannot hit for a lineup that spent Saturday waiting for something to happen.

The Yankees do not need magic. They need strikes from Schlittler, traffic from the offense and fewer empty innings. If the rookie gives them another October night to remember, the story will be large enough without asking him to save the season by himself.