Schmidt tossed five perfect innings against Pittsburgh in a Grapefruit League game Thursday, striking out seven batters.
Schmidt needed just 50 pitches to complete five frames in the exhibition contest, throwing 36 strikes while not allowing any baserunners. He mixed in four different pitches -- including his recently developed cutter -- as he furthered his case to be part of the Yankees' rotation this season. Schmidt is expected to be in the rotation for at least the start of the campaign while Carlos Rodon (forearm) works his way back, and the 27-year-old Schmidt could stick as a starter permanently if he gets off to a strong start.