When it comes to the pressure-packed environment of the MLB postseason, there’s no substitute for experience.

But experience isn’t everything .

We’ve seen plenty of rookies grab the spotlight in their first taste of playoff baseball, with Yankees starter Cam Schlittler being the latest rookie to make a name for himself on the postseason stage. In his first career playoff outing in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the 2025 AL Wild Card Series, Schlittler dominated the Red Sox with eight scoreless innings, 12 strikeouts and no walks.

Here’s a look at the most impressive postseason performances by rookies in the Wild Card era (since 1995), in reverse chronological order.

Evan Carter and Corbin Carroll, OF, 2023 Rangers and D-backs

Carter’s story didn’t even begin until he made his MLB

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