It has been a roller-coaster ride of a career for Chicago White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon, and it reached a peak at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday night when he threw a no-hitter in an 8-0 win over the Cleveland Indians.
Not only did Rodon throw a no-hitter, but he narrowly missed a perfect game. He retired the first 25 batters he faced before hitting Roberto Perez's foot on an 0-2 pitch in the ninth inning.
“All you can do is laugh about it; it wasn’t meant to be,” Rodon said.
As Perez was walking to first, Rodon asked him, “Did it get you?”
Perez nodded.
“I’d have let it hit me, too,” Rodon said.
Rodon quickly shook off the brief setback to finish off his no-hitter, which was saved right before the HBP by an incredible play in the field by White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu.
After the final out, Rodon was in disbelief:
“I can’t believe this is happening” was the first thought that went through Rodon’s mind when it was over, he said.
“After the third time through the order and you get [Jose] Ramirez out,’’ Rodon said, ‘‘that’s where you say this is where it’s getting real. It’s a special moment. To say I dominated today, it feels good.”
Rodon came to the White Sox with a good amount of hype. He was the third overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft before making his major league debut in 2015. However, injuries and inconsistency have marred his career.
Could this be the year he finally puts it all together?
So far, so good.
Rodon looked dominant in his first start of the year and now just threw a no-hitter. The 28-year-old hasn't allowed a run over 14 earnings of work, striking out 16 hitters in the process.
The White Sox are a World Series contender this season, and getting this version of Carlos Rodon would go a long way in helping their quest.
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