This isn’t exactly how either of the Yankees or Red Sox drew it up at the beginning of the year.

The two rivals will face off in a do-or-die Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series on Thursday night. After an offseason where the franchises made splashes in to bolster their rotations, their seasons now lie in the hands of rookie starting pitchers.

Cam Schlittler will toe the slab for the Yankees against Red Sox southpaw Connelly Early. The two have a combined 18 MLB starts under their belts — 14 of them belong to Schlittler — and will both be making what is easily the biggest starts of their baseball careers.

“Two rookies, Game 3, Wild Card, Yankees-Red Sox. Imagine that? Should be a fun night,” said Alex Cora after the Red Sox Game 2 loss to the Yankees.

While the experience

See Full Page