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Carlos Rodón's 2023 season with the New York Yankees was forgettable, marked by injuries and poor performance, as evidenced by his 6.85 ERA in 14 games. However, he has since turned things around, pitching at the level expected of an All-Star after signing a lucrative $162 million contract with New York.
Rodón was unstoppable, retiring the first 16 batters he faced and pitching six strong innings to lead the New York Yankees to a 9-5 win against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
Rodon in the zone for the Yankees
“I was obviously frustrated with my performance, even the attitude leaving the season,” Rodón said via Yankees Videos’ X (formerly Twitter) social media account. “It made me hungrier going into the offseason. All I want to do is win. I want to perform for my teammates. I don’t want to let my teammates down.”
Carlos Rodón discussed his mindset after the 2023 season:
"I was very frustrated with my performance. It made me hungrier going into the offseason. All I want to do is win and I want to perform well for my teammates. I don't want to let my teammates down" pic.twitter.com/2ESrOh2yYW
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 6, 2024
This time last year, Rodón had yet to step onto the Stadium mound. Despite signing a six-year, $162 million contract, the lefty faced a forearm issue during spring training and dealt with back problems during his rehab, causing setbacks.
When he finally returned, Rodón struggled with a 3-8 record and a 6.85 ERA in 14 starts, spending much of the season trying to catch up, according to manager Aaron Boone.
Flash forward today, Rodón boasts an 8-2 record alongside a 3.08 ERA, tallying 71 strikeouts and 20 walks across 73 innings while holding opponents to a .217 batting average. Notably, the 31-year-old southpaw has garnered 39 strikeouts using his slider, 24 with fastballs, six with changeups, and two with cutters.
Since his challenging outing in Baltimore on May 2, where he allowed seven runs (six earned) in four-plus innings, Rodón has been on an impressive streak. In Wednesday's game, he allowed just two runs on three hits with no walks and recorded a season-high nine strikeouts.
Carlos Rodon's help
Anthony Volpe and Aaron Judge are currently on impressive on-base streaks, spanning 31 games, which is tied for the longest streak in the Majors this year.
Volpe kicked off the action with a single to right in the first inning, sparking a four-run rally highlighted by Giancarlo Stanton's RBI single and Gleyber Torres' two-run double.
Later in the game, in the fifth inning, Volpe reached base again just before Aaron Judge crushed a bases-clearing triple to left field off reliever Diego Castillo. Judge capped off his standout performance with a walk with the bases loaded, tallying a season-high five RBIs for the night.
After hitting his fifth career triple, Judge caused a bit of a fright for Boone when he slid feet-first with such force that catcher Ryan Jeffers' mitt flew off, landing right in front of Boone who was in his usual spot in the dugout.
“The boys scoring runs like that makes it a lot easier to go out there, fill the zone and try to get outs,” said Carlos Rodón per MLB.com.
“You saw the defensive plays tonight from the outfield and the infield. I thought we played a great game. The offense keeps carrying this team for sure.”
The Yankees' winning streak has extended to seven games, propelling them to the top of the American League standings with a record of 44-19.
