It was just the kind of stat line Carlos Rodón wanted in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series: nine strikeouts, no freakouts.
He went into the night hoping to finish six innings. He did so, in the process inducing 25 swings and misses—the most by a New York Yankee in the postseason since Statcast began tracking such things in 2008. He retired 11 Cleveland Guardians in a row at one point and, other than a solo home run in his last inning, he allowed only one runner as far as second base. The Yankees’ 5–2 win never felt even that close.
“That’s what he’s capable of when he’s dialed in like that,” says New York manager Aaron Boone.
Rodón, 31, controlled his fastball and himself. Both turned out to be easier than he expected.
“It’s not that it’s hard,” he says. “It’s just being mindful of it.”
That has not always been so simple for Rodón. Once, he became so upset during an outing that he kicked a bat in the dugout. Another time, when he did not like what pitching coach Matt Blake said during a mound visit, the lefty turned his back on his coach. It can be nearly as challenging to harness his joy when things go well: Rodón celebrates each big out as if he might never get another one. Sometimes he can ride that intensity to success; nearly as often, he falls off.
The Yankees need him to tighten his grip. When they signed him to a six-year, $162 million contract before last season, they expected him to be the big-game pitcher who had twice received Cy Young Award votes. Last season was a disaster; his 6.85 ERA was fifth-worst in the sport among starters who pitched more than 60 innings. But he dedicated himself to honing his mentality this winter, and his ERA this season was 3.96. In the second half, that figure was 2.91.
They trusted him to start this Game 1—ace Gerrit Cole, who started the deciding Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals, will go on Tuesday—and he is lined up to start a potential Game 5 on regular rest. If they advance to the World Series, he could start twice there as well.
As he learned this week, the postseason is different from the regular season. Two days after starts, the Yankees’ pitching group holds what it calls after-action reviews. In the one that came after Rodón’s last appearance—a frustrating 11-out, four-run performance against the Royals in Game 2 of the ALDS—the conversation was quick. A level of focus that helped him dominate in August is not enough for October.
“He didn’t really need a lot of talking to,” Blake says. “He knew that was the next step.”
In that game, Rodón had been electric through three innings as the Yankees took a 1–0 lead. He stuck out his tongue and danced off the mound after a three-strikeout first frame. But leading off the fourth was catcher Salvador Pérez, who owns an .846 career slugging percentage against him. Pérez homered. “It brought me out of focus just a tick,” Rodón reflected on Sunday. He gave up a single, then uncorked a wild pitch. Strikeout, RBI single, stolen base, strikeout, RBI single, and just like that, his night was over. Afterward, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said, “We play nine innings.”
Rodón had not blown up. But neither had he locked in. So in Game 4, he studied Cole. He watched how his friend seemed not to react to developments good or bad. Even when an interaction at second base got chippy enough that both benches cleared, Cole reined in his anger. He gave up a single and an RBI double but retired the last hitter. Only after he had completed seven one-run innings did he let loose a roar. Until then, Rodón noted, he was “just like a robot walking to the dugout.”
He added, “Gerrit is a good poker player. Me, not so much. I need to be better at poker.”
He also spoke with Yankees legend Andy Pettitte, who won five World Series and was the 2001 ALCS MVP. “He knows a lot about it,” Rodón deadpans now. “Some would say he was pretty good in the postseason.” They discussed energy, and how Rodón often wastes it by reacting emotionally during outings. Pettitte reminded him that all his energy should go toward the catcher.
“You have to be committed to the craft,” Rodón says. “That’s part of the craft.”
At times it seemed as if Rodón were playacting a serious person. He ended each of the first five innings with strikeouts but trotted off the mound with his head down each time as if he had to rush to the bathroom. Even after the sixth inning, which ended with an impressive running catch by center fielder Aaron Judge, Rodón limited himself to a glove point at his teammate. The sellout crowd of 47,264—which included, it must be mentioned for search-engine optimization purposes, pop star Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce—roared. Rodón just ducked quietly into the dugout.
At his postgame press conference, asked what stood out about his outing—certainly, given the circumstances, the best of his career—Rodón praised his catcher, his defense, his bullpen and his hitters. He attributed his success to good pitch-calling. He complimented the Guardians hitters. Even later, relaxing at his locker, he declined to break character. He barely smiled. He spoke softly. He did not display the wrestling championship belt the Yankees give their player of the game after wins. Has he celebrated his success at all?
“I just celebrated us winning,” he says. “That’s what I want.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Carlos Rodon Takes a Page From Fellow Yankees in ALCS Game 1 Win.
