BRONX, NY — New York Yankees’ left-hander Carlos Rodón could not have started off Game 2 of the American League Division Series on a better note — striking out the side of Kansas City Royals’ Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., and Vinnie Pasquantino.
In his dominant one-two-three first-inning to begin the affairs on Monday evening in the Bronx, the 31-year-old Cuban-American, feeding off the Yankee Stadium atmosphere formed by a sold out crowd of 48,034, totaled just 12 pitches with 10 resulting in strikes.
After each strikeout, Rodón, marking his postseason debut as a Yankee, appeared energetic, while jumping off the mound, and pumping his glove across his chest. At one point, he even yelled, “It’s On, Boys.”
A bulldog-like scene in an environment built for bulldogs. Perhaps the loudest the stadium has been all year, including this past Saturday’s ALDS Game 1, 6-5 victory.
“It’s a pretty cool experience to pitch a playoff game in Yankee Stadium,” said Rodón of the Bronx atmosphere. “They had some great energy today, and all of us could feel it. Just like Game One.”
Carlos Rodón strikes out the side in the first! 🔥 #ALDS pic.twitter.com/n43gGxZJb1
— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2024
Rodón continued to execute in the zone and move along throughout his next two innings of work, compiling 39 pitches overall (30 for strikes) with four K’s. But, it was until then — the visiting frame of the fourth — when Venezuelan great and Royals legend Salvador Pérez stepped up to the plate, where the southpaw hit a wall…
The 34-year-old right-handed hitting catcher, connecting on a 2-0, 90-MPH slider from Rodón, to mark his sixth-career postseason home run, impacted the Yanks’ starter from there. One could say, it opened the floodgates.
“Salvy leading off the inning was the first guy that I felt like he (Rodón) got behind,” stated Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone on Pérez’ HR to even the game at 1-1 in the fourth. “I felt like he was pounding the strike zone with really good stuff all night. He falls behind him, and from there started making some mistakes with his secondary just in the heart of the plate.”
Kansas City continued firing back at Rodón following Perez’s bomb, damaging him for three additional runs in the fourth as all came on singles — Tommy Pham, and Garret Hampson, + Maikel García, who singled off of New York’s reliever Ian Hamilton though the baserunner came via Rodón.
Rodon’s final line in Yankees’ Game 2 ALDS 4-2 Loss
3.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 ER, 7 K (72 pitches, 49 strikes)
“Obviously I want to be better than that, especially how the first three innings went,” Rodón said, evaluating his Game 2 ALDS outing, as the best of five series is now tied at one apiece.
“Just gotta be better with those pitches, more fine with them and get to better spots.”
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