Carlos Rodón knows the deployment.
“Must-win game tomorrow. Go outside and compete,” said the game 2-starter after the 3-1 of the Yankees, game 1 loss for the Red Sox in the Bronx on Tuesday.
Pushed to the edge in the Wildcardronde, the Yankees look at a lefty whose term of office in chalk stripes is defined by evolution.
The 2023 season was an injury disaster that was also a disaster on the hill. Before 2024, an earlier fastball and slider specialist added a cutter, spoke the use of his change and found that he could be a reliable starting pitcher in pinstripes.
This season he has brought a zinc shed into what is now a mix of five pitch and has proven that he can be more than just reliable, but an All-Star that will receive Cy Young voices.
The maturation has been extended to his personality and on-dog attitude. Last year last year, Rodón was blazing, roaring and stamped his way through the top of the Royals -Line -Up, and threw the side in the first inning of Game 2 of the ALS. And then he faded, making four points in a fourth inning that he did not survive.
The Rodón who see the world and the Yankees see that Wednesday will not be the one who saw Kansas City.
“I learned a lot about staying in myself and just trying to keep everything under control,” said Rodón. “So hopefully I can keep that going for this year.”
A quieter Rodón, more controlled with his energy, will oppose Brayan Bello in the Bronx with an opportunity to keep the season alive, to bounce back from one up and down 2024 after season Rodón was strong in two alcs starts and badly against the royals and dodgers and that his pitch mix is not changed.
Rodón had a fire to fit with the High-90s heat that he often produced. He no longer has to reach back to his best quadruple because of his ability to pitch, and he no longer has to spend the energy that a strikeout is celebrating.
“I had a lot of help with that,” said Rodón, who spoke with two pitchers after that outing of Royals in particular: Andy Pettitte and Gerrit Cole.
Pettitte, himself so often the October Game 2 -Starter and now a Yankees advisor, owned a 3.81 ERA at this time of the year, the Yankees won 23 of 32 Postseason competitions in which he threw. Last year’s ACE Cole has become this year’s assistant -packing coach. Both are thoughtful pitchers who are used to managing emotions under pressure.
“Those two, after that start,” said Rodón, “got my thoughts where it should be.”
His adapted mentality has resulted in less viral moments, such as blowing a kiss to hang Yankees fans in Anaheim two years ago or to turn his back on pitching coach Matt Blake in that season. His passion on the hill is more used and subtly.
The fields and the pitcher have continued to evolve for one of the most important starts of his life.
“There are things I can look back on, but tomorrow it will be different,” said Rodón. “But it should be nice.”
– Additional reporting by Dan Martin
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