Just before throwing his first warmup pitch of the night on Monday, Carlos Rodón took a minute to take in his surroundings.
A day earlier, the southpaw had talked about harnessing Yankee Stadium’s energy and controlling his sometimes-turbulent emotions. And so with the Bronx burning and Alice In Chains’ “Rooster” blasting over the loudspeakers prior to Game 2 of the ALDS, Rodón stopped to appreciate the packed house before going to work.
He proceeded to snuff out the Royals, fanning Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino in the opening inning as his fastball reached 98.3 mph. Suddenly, emotional control didn’t seem so important, as a screaming Rodón grew increasingly animated with each strike out.
After retiring Pasquantino, Rodón strutted off the mound, stuck out his tongue and smiled his way to the dugout.
Carlos Rodón strikes out the side and he’s fired up! pic.twitter.com/kJcqLhVeUH
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 7, 2024
Unfortunately for Rodón and the Yankees, that display of power and fiery jubilation did not foreshadow an exceptional evening. While the hurler remained efficient for the first three innings of his Yankees postseason debut, he ultimately unraveled in the fourth frame of the Bombers’ 4-2 loss.
Rodón’s slider led to his demise, as the Royals plated their first three runs by pouncing on the pitch. Salvador Perez started the scoring for Kansas City in the fourth, crushing a solo shot to left minutes after a Giancarlo Stanton single put the Yankees on the board.
Rodón hung his breaking ball over the heart of the plate on the dinger. He did the same when Tommy Pham rocketed an RBI single a few batters later. Garrett Hampson then connected with a slider below the zone, adding his own RBI single.
That knocked Rodón out of the game after 3.2 innings.
Garcia proceeded to coincidentally single off Ian Hamilton’s slider, earning the Royals — and Rodón — a fourth run. The starter also totaled seven hits, zero walks, seven strikeouts and 72 pitches as his night ended in disappointment.
While Rodón could not maintain his first-inning success on Monday, Royals starter Cole Ragans held the Yankees to one run over four innings. He only allowed three hits, but four walks gave the pinstripers a few squandered opportunities.
While Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a solo homer in the ninth, the Yankees went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight men during the game.
With the series now tied, the Yankees and Royals will head to Kansas City for Game 3 on Wednesday. The Yanks tabbed Clarke Schmidt to start the game, picking the consistent righty over Luis Gil.
Kansas City had yet to announce its Game 3 starter by the end of Monday’s action, but Seth Lugo is an option. The first-time All-Star dominated the Yankees on Sept. 10, striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings.
