How Carlos Rodón, with assists from Pettitte and Cole, rewarded the Yankees’ gamble in Game 1

NEW YORK — Here’s why the Yankees pay Carlos Rodón $162 million over six years: to have a world-class poker face.

Rodon’s largest problem in taking command of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series wasn’t dealing with Cleveland’s harmful lineup. Rodón’s best enemy was really himself.

When the veteran permits his feelings to take management of his exit, issues can rapidly spiral uncontrolled. That’s what occurred in his first recreation as a starter this postseason towards the Royals; he acquired amped up too early and too usually — sticking his tongue out and gaping after a first-inning strikeout — and allowed his consideration to slide away from the duty at hand. He was pulled after coughing up 4 earned runs in simply 3.2 innings towards Kansas City.

But he discovered so much within the week between his subsequent playoff begin. He studied Gerrit Cole, acquired recommendation from Andy Pettitte and mentioned he’d be higher subsequent time. Even so, it is one factor to do all of the preparation, nevertheless it’s one other factor to truly execute it on the mound, particularly at first of the playoffs.

Finally, in his group’s 5-2 win over the Guardians Monday night time at Yankee Stadium, the fiery lefty put his profession 11.37 postseason ERA within the rearview and pitched with authority.

“The purpose was to keep up management,” Rodón mentioned. “I keep in command of what I can do, bodily and emotionally. I assumed I did it nicely tonight.”

He was modest. Rodón struck out 9 batters and allowed only one run on three hits in six innings, holding his feelings in examine at each flip. But it was straightforward to grasp that this was a combat for Rodón. Being unresponsive is not precisely second nature to him. He gave the impression to be placing as a lot effort into controlling his feelings as he did into his weight loss plan of fastballs, sliders, curveballs and changeups. Instead of acknowledging the group’s raucous vitality with a few of his personal, Rodón threw again his shoulders and saved his head down on the mound. The lefty recorded 25 swings and errors.

He was locked up and it confirmed.

Rodón’s solely blemish on the night time was a house run by Brayan Rocchio to steer off the sixth inning. But there was no subsequent collapse. There was no puzzled expression as he watched Rocchio’s lengthy ball sail over the left subject wall. He retired the following three batters and ended his outing by pointing his glove at Aaron Judge, who rocketed off José Ramírez’s bat for the ultimate out of the sixth. Rodón dropped the Guardians bruiser all thrice he confronted him.

“I believe he was very conscious of what the final outing was and the way the feelings slipped out of him early,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake mentioned. “That can be a focus for him all through the sport. Every inning you would inform he was attempting to remain put and be impartial about it and proceed to choose up outs.”

As Rodón set to work, the Yankees continued to pile on. Juan Soto hit his first postseason house run as a Yankee within the third inning, hanging out New York on the scoreboard main 1-0. Giancarlo Stanton added insurance coverage within the seventh along with his second house run of the postseason, which was his thirteenth profession playoff jack since 2018. Stanton has a 1.244 OPS in 5 postseason video games this October. But whereas Soto, Stanton and Aaron Judge all collected RBIs within the Game 1 win, it was Rodón who stood out because the game-changer.

“He was the driving force tonight,” Stanton mentioned of Rodón. “Juan led us into assault, however Carlos saved them in place and gave us the possibility to attain and add extra.”

Rodón couldn’t obtain this image of steadiness on his personal.

Days after the Royals realized his feelings have been operating excessive and despatched him house within the fourth inning, Rodón sought recommendation from Pettitte, a former Yankees left-hander and five-time World Series champion, on keep a superb poker face on the mound. . Pettitte, presently in an advisor position with the Yankees, has received 63.3 p.c of his postseason selections, partly by refusing to let his opponent determine what he was considering and feeling. Rodón mentioned Pettitte’s recommendation left an impression.

Then, as Cole dominated the Royals in Kansas City final Thursday, Rodón leaned on the dugout railing and thoroughly watched his each response. Fascinated, Rodón saved his eyes targeted on Cole even because the drama between Anthony Volpe and Maikel Garcia at second base unfolded. Rodón watched Cole get flustered with out letting the scenario smash what had been a superb outing.

“You can inform he will get slightly offended,” Rodón mentioned of Cole. “But he sort of retains him in form and will get again on the mound. Eventually they rating a run, however he retains them to a run. The largest factor I noticed from him within the seventh, he did not combat again each inning. If you watched him come out, he was identical to a robotic strolling in the direction of the dugout. Then on the finish of the seventh, there was an enormous roar as a result of he knew I had accomplished my job beginning.”

Rodón tried to be like Cole the Robot towards Cleveland and, for essentially the most half, he was. His six innings of one-run ball weren’t solely essential for the Yankees, who took a 1-0 lead over the Guardians to begin the ALCS, however they have been an enormous response to criticism that supervisor Aaron Boone he obtained for selecting Rodón in first place. With Cole inserted into Game 2 on 4 days relaxation, Boone had to decide on between right-hander Clarke Schmidt or Rodón to open the collection. Cleveland was the third-best offensive group within the AL towards lefties within the common season, so nobody would have blamed Boone if he had determined to begin Schmidt in Game 1.

But Rodón was signed by the Yankees for moments like Monday; a packed home of 47,264 within the Bronx, doing his half because the deadly 1-2 of the rotation alongside Cole, all whereas being accountable to the zoo that’s the New York media.

The psychological and bodily movement that Rodón achieved in Game 1 was the elixir for the horrible postseason ERA he carried with him into Monday night time’s recreation. This was precisely what the Yankees anticipated from Rodón once they made him the highest-paid pitcher within the 2023 free agent class. After being restricted to simply 14 appearances as a result of accidents final 12 months and posting a horrible ERA of 6, 85, this was the 12 months Rodón began incomes his contract. He confirmed as much as spring coaching noticeably leaner, then sat out of the supervisor’s room all season and bounced again with a 3.96 ERA by way of 32 wholesome begins and a career-high 175 innings.

Rodón’s 26 weeks as a workhorse within the common season helped the Yankees get thus far, significantly when Cole missed the primary two-plus months with an elbow damage. But Rodón can provide the Yankees an even bigger, extra essential enhance by replicating this routine subsequent time.

The Yankees are three wins away from reaching the World Series. Rodón can rely on one hand what number of extra occasions he’ll want his poker face.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. He beforehand coated the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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