New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón faltered against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven in five innings. His early missteps set the Yankees back in an eventual 8-4 loss at a sold-out Fenway Park.
The Red Sox quickly capitalized, scoring five runs in the first two innings. The Red Sox’s disciplined approach at the plate, fouling quality pitches and punishing errors, proved effective. When Carlos Rodón allowed five runs in the first two innings, he pushed the Yankees into a hole they never got out of.
Carlos Rodón recognized Boston’s strategy, highlighting their ability to foul on difficult shots and capitalize on their mistakes. He admitted that they worked the bills and made him pay for pitches left over in the heart of the plate.
“They had a good approach,” he said. “They missed some shots. I put in a good effort and took some good swings. They walked walks and made me pay when I made mistakes, for sure.”
After Carlos Rodón’s five-inning outing, the Yankees’ comeback efforts were further hampered by losing two of three replay reviews.
Taking responsibility for his performance, Carlos Rodón admitted to leaving too many pitches in the strike zone, which led to harsh contact from the Red Sox. He expressed disappointment in his inability to make pitches and put his team in a difficult position, making a comeback unlikely.
“I just left some balls in the middle of the plate,” the Yankees pitcher said. “The balls off the wall, I got hit by some balls really hard. I just didn’t get to the area I wanted to and scoring the team five runs is difficult. “It’s hard for them to get out of there, so that’s on me.”
Despite throwing a season-high 109 pitches, Carlos Rodón’s efforts were insufficient to prevent the Yankees from falling to their longtime rivals. The Boston Red Sox worked the Yankees left-hander hard during his start on Saturday, forcing him to throw 62 pitches in just two innings. By the time Carlos Rodón recorded six outs, the Red Sox had already managed five runs and seven hits, many of them hard-hitting, along with two walks.
Carlos Rodón admitted to leaving too many pitches over the heart of the plate, which the Red Sox took advantage of. He expressed frustration with his lack of execution, acknowledging that he put his team in a difficult situation, making a comeback difficult.
Carlos Rodón admits error from the beginning
He got up 0-2 on Jarren Durán in the first at-bat, but then left a slider up the middle that Durán lined up for a double. Carlos Rodón noted that he should have buried that slider, which took away the game in the first inning, and highlighted similar mistakes throughout his outing.
“I was ahead and I should have buried that slider,” he said. “Many cases like that tonight.”
The Red Sox continued their offensive attack, hitting two more RBI doubles off the Green Monster in the first inning before Rodón escaped the frame after 30 pitches.
The Yankees responded in the top of the second with a rally against Cooper Criswell. Giancarlo Stanton singled, Anthony Rizzo walked and DJ LeMahieu’s two-out single to right field scored both runners, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
However, the Red Sox continued their aggressive approach in the bottom of the second, quickly regaining their three-run lead.
Carlos Rodón settled down after a rough start, retiring 10 of the last 11 batters he faced in five innings, keeping the Yankees (50-23) within reach. Despite his best efforts, the Yankees’ comeback fell short, setting up a decisive game on Sunday night.
The Yankees left-hander struggled in what would have otherwise been a stellar rebounding season, allowing five runs in five innings in a 109-pitch effort against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Despite this being Carlos Rodón’s highest pitch count since August 2022, he managed to save the bullpen from extensive work.
This outing marked Carlos Rodón’s second-worst performance of the season, having allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his first 14 starts. Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that while the pitcher’s repertoire was sharp, the Red Sox had outstanding at-bats from the start, making solid contact with both his slider and fastball.
Despite a difficult start, Carlos Rodón returned for the fifth inning, having already thrown 98 pitches. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning on just 11 pitches. Reflecting on his departure, the Yankees pitcher expressed his regret for not having adapted sooner and for having lost his spots, acknowledging his responsibility for the outcome of the game.
The loss ended Rodon’s seven-fight winning streak, during which he had consistently made quality starts. The Red Sox scored all five of their runs against Carlos Rodón in the first two innings, and the Yankees’ offense was unable to recover. Despite this setback, Carlos Rodón maintains a commendable 3.28 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and an 81:23 K:BB ratio in 85 innings over 15 starts this season.
Boone acknowledged that Carlos Rodón frequently pitched to the heart of the plate and the Red Sox capitalized on his mistakes with solid contact and quality at-bats.
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