Carlos Rodón is officially back on the bump for the New York Yankees, and Tuesday night’s performance was the shot of adrenaline everyone needed. After nearly two months away, his return from a left elbow inflammation layoff saw him limited to just 4 innings, but what a four innings they were, giving up only a single run via a solo home run.
Back on the Mound, Right Into the Fire
Rodón hadn’t pitched an MLB game since June 28, but you wouldn’t know it from how he battled. He’d made a few rehab starts, sure, but the big league mound in Baltimore hits different. He started a little shaky, walking Tyler O’Neill early in the first, but then he settled right in. The real test came in the second when an error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. turned what should have been an inning-ending double play into a one-out, bases-loaded nightmare. Did Rodón fold? Nope. He dug deep, striking out Carlos Narváez with a swinging third strike, then caught Jackson Holliday looking with a 96 mph fastball on the outside corner. The ump Will Little initially called it a ball, but Austin Wells challenged it, and ABS replay confirmed Strike 3. That’s clutch under pressure!
One Blip, One Rookie Saves the Day
The Orioles finally got to him with two outs in the third. Cleanup hitter Coby Mayo launched an inside slider on a 2-0 count, tying the game at 1-1 with a solo shot just inside the foul pole. Rodón quickly got the next out, finishing the third at 53 pitches, a little under his 58 from his last rehab outing. Manager Aaron Boone trusted him for one more frame, and Rodón delivered a perfect 1-2-3 inning. How about rookie sensation George Lombard Jr. stepping up? Since his MLB debut on August 4, he’s been turning heads, and he snagged the first out of the fourth with a sensational put-out on a Christian Encarnacion-Strand ground ball. Rodón himself gave Lombard Jr. rave reviews for that play.
What This Means for the Stretch Run
Rodón wrapped up his night allowing just 1 earned run on 2 hits and 1 walk, with 4 strikeouts across 66 pitches. The Yankees grabbed a 3-1 win, moving to 70-55 and solidifying their hold on the top wild-card spot in the American League. Before his injury, Rodón was rocking a 3.30 ERA in 46 1/3 innings, and this performance shows he’s ready to get back to that. The team is absolutely counting on him to be effective for the rest of the season and, yes, for the playoffs. That kind of comeback, that kind of performance under pressure? It’s exactly what you want to see as things heat up. Every game from here on out means everything, and having Rodón back in this form changes the game.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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