Rod¨®n starts Game 1 as Yankees set ALCS rotation
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochNEW YORK -- The late innings of the victory that propelled the Yankees into this American League Championship Series offered something of a clinic on maintaining composure for Carlos Rodón, who said that he watched closely to see how Gerrit Cole would handle the moment.
Rod¨®n marveled at how Cole appeared ¡°like a robot walking to the dugout¡± after his first six frames against the Royals in Game 4 of the AL Division Series, then saw the ace let loose ¡°a big roar¡± at the end of his seventh and final inning.
¡°He knows, like, ¡®I did my job,¡¯¡± Rod¨®n said on Sunday. ¡°I think that¡¯s kind of one thing that resonated with me from that start.¡±
Rod¨®n will have an opportunity to exhibit what he learned on Monday, as the left-hander draws the start for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Rod¨®n will be looking to bounce back from a losing effort in ALDS Game 2, when he lasted just 3 2/3 innings in a 4-2 loss.
Pumped up by the emotions of his first postseason start as a Yankee and the second of his career (third appearance), Rod¨®n struck out the side in an impressive first inning that was punctuated by his own ¡°big roar¡± as he strutted off the field.
Kansas City punched back with four runs in the fourth inning, prompting the Royals¡¯ Maikel Garcia to remark on X, ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate too early.¡± Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Rod¨®n¡¯s experience is ¡°one of the learning things you kind of go through¡± in postseason play.
¡°I think he's in a really good spot, throwing the ball well,¡± Boone said. ¡°Hopefully going through his first playoff game here in the Bronx and experiencing all the emotions that you do, there's something that serves him well in this next time.¡±
The Yanks mostly swatted away Garcia¡¯s comments; they had little choice, since Jazz Chisholm Jr. also made a few remarks online and off, gleefully trolling the Royals and their fans during the ALDS. But Garcia¡¯s nugget of advice might be one that Rod¨®n takes to heart.
¡°Gerrit is a good poker player,¡± Rod¨®n said. ¡°Me, not so much. I need to be better at poker.¡±
Boone said that there was some internal debate over handing the Game 1 start to Rod¨®n, with right-hander Clarke Schmidt also considered. In fact, as the Guardians and Tigers played the early innings of ALDS Game 5 on Saturday, Boone said the call hadn¡¯t yet been made.
Rod¨®n will be pitching on extra rest after his Oct. 7 ALDS start, while Monday would have been Schmidt¡¯s normal turn after going in Game 3 on Oct. 9.
¡°It was really kind of close, choosing between Clarke and Carlos,¡± Boone said. ¡°I feel like this keeps them on rhythm as much as possible without giving one guy a huge long layoff.¡±
Boone said that Cole will start Game 2 at Yankee Stadium. Schmidt and Luis Gil have been named the starters for Games 3 and 4 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, respectively. Rod¨®n would be in line for Game 5.
¡°For him struggling there and getting knocked out in his last outing in the fourth, I also feel like [he] came out throwing the ball really well in his first big experience,¡± Boone said. ¡°Hopefully it's something he can take from that outing that allows him to really break through and have that outing we know he's capable of.¡±
New York was 4-2 against the Guardians this season, though Rod¨®n has yet to face them as a Yankee. He¡¯s 8-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 21 games (19 starts) against Cleveland, stats compiled with the White Sox and Giants from 2015-22.
Rod¨®n called the Guardians¡¯ lineup ¡°formidable,¡± pointing to Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez and Steven Kwan, among others. Rod¨®n said that he expects a ¡°fun challenge¡± on Monday.
¡°Game 1 just sets the tone,¡± Rod¨®n said. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to being out there again, feeling the energy, and just giving my team the best chance to win.¡±