10/13/24 02:30:00
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10/13 14:28 CDT Carlos Rodn will start AL Championship Series opener for the
Yankees vs. the Guardians
Carlos Rodn will start AL Championship Series opener for the Yankees vs. the
Guardians
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Carlos Rodn wants to be more like Gerrit Cole when he starts
the AL Championship Series opener for the New York Yankees against Cleveland on
Monday night.
After getting knocked out in the fourth inning of his Division Series start
against Kansas City, Rodn paid close attention to his teammate's outing in
Thursday's clincher.
"Gerrit's a good poker player. Me, not so much," Rodn said Sunday. "I need to
be better at poker."
Cole pitched shutout ball into the sixth, allowed Vinnie Pasquantino's RBI
double that cut the Yankees' lead to two runs, then retired Salvador Perez on a
popup. He pitched seven innings in New York's series-clinching 3-1 win.
"He didn't react every inning," Rodn said. "If you watched him come out, it's
just like a robot walking to the dugout. Then at the end of the seventh, it's a
big roar because he knows like ?I did my job.'"
Cole starts Game 2 on Tuesday, followed by Clarke Schmidt in Game 3 at
Cleveland on Thursday and rookie Luis Gil the following day in Game 4.
"It was really kind of choosing between Clarke and Carlos," Yankees manager
Aaron Boone said Sunday. "It just felt like it was close, and I feel like this
kind of keeps them on rhythm as much as possible without giving one guy a huge,
long layoff."
The Guardians, who defeated the Tigers in Game 5 of their Division Series on
Saturday, are going with Alex Cobb in Game 1. Cobb gave up two runs and three
hits in three innings in his Game 3 start against Detroit, his first appearance
since Sept. 1.
Rodn's fastball averaged 97 mph against the Royals, 1.6 mph above his season
average, and he struck out the side in the first. He led 1-0 until Perez's
leadoff home run in the fourth sparked a four-run inning. Tommy Pham, Garrett
Hampson and Maikel Garcia hit RBI singles that chased the 31-year-old
left-hander in a 4-2 loss.
"Usually I start off fairly tame velo-wise and then work my way up to the
higher numbers later into the game. I wouldn't say that's a reason of why it
kind of unraveled for me," Rodn said. "There's some times for some better
composure, and I think it could help some energy levels for sure."
A two-time All-Star and 10-year veteran, Rodn doesn't mind displays of emotion
on the field.
"If you want to act a certain way, sure, go about it your way," he said. "If
you hit a homer off me 900 feet or however far, you want to flip your bat, flip
your bat. You did something good. This game's hard. It's not easy. So a little
celebration is fine."
Rodn rebounded to a 16-9 record with a 3.96 ERA over 172 innings in 32 starts
in his second season with the Yankees after signing a $162 million, six-year
contract. He was 3-8 with a career-worst 6.85 ERA over 14 outings in a 2023
season that didn't start until July 7 because of a strained left forearm and
back stiffness.
"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 experience all the
emotions that you do, hopefully there's something that serves him well in this
next time."
Online harassment
Rodn's wife, Ashley, said she received online harassment following his defeat.
"It's not the first time nor will it be the last time," the pitcher said. "I
think Ashley and I spoke about it that night, and she said, and I quote, she
said, ?I have thick skin, so I'm going to be OK.' And she does. She's a tough
lady, my wife, very tough, probably tougher than I am. For me, on my phone, I
have accounts, but I do not have social media on my phone."
Rizzo return?
Boone said it was possible first baseman Anthony Rizzo could be added to the
roster, but no decision had been made. Rizzo has been sidelined since
fracturing a pair of fingers when hit by a pitch on Sept. 28.
"He did a lot more yesterday and did pretty well, but I want to see more
today," Boone said before the workout. "There's a chance."
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