BRONX, NY — Carlos Rodon’s emotions had gotten the better of him on some of the game’s biggest stages.
The veteran southpaw was practically red-lining over the first three shutout innings of his Yankees postseason debut in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals before falling apart in the fourth, when he allowed two runs on five hits, including a home run and a wild pitch. He would only record two outs in that frame before getting pulled.
It happened again in his first-career World Series start, which came in Game 3 in the Bronx against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, including three home runs, and leaving him with a significant mental priority to address in his offseason preparations.
“I learned fairly quick last year that things need to be in check and to save that energy,” the 32-year-old said on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium ahead of Game 1 of their Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox. “I’ve had a lot of help with that. Pitching in some of the games last year, obviously, pitching in the World Series, it’s hard to replicate that, especially during the regular season. Those games are important during the regular season, but the high of the energy is not quite like Game 2 of the World Series, or Game 1 of the ALCS, or any of those games in the postseason.”
The first true test for Rodon’s new, potentially calmer demeanor on the mound in the postseason comes on Wednesday night in the Bronx for Game 2, where the environment is a breeding ground for passion.
Not only are the stakes raised in a best-of-three series, but this is just the sixth time ever that the Yankees are playing the arch-rival Red Sox in the postseason.
Rodon, who had his best season in pinstripes yet by going 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 195.1 innings pitched, said he has leaned especially on former Yankees great Andy Pettitte, who has remained around the organization, and injured ace Gerrit Cole as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
“I think what’s helped him is his experiences, and last year, I’m hoping that serves him well and allows him to really slow things down, really control moments,” manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s an important thing to have.”
What has been proven to help Rodon is working behind fellow southpaw and acting rotational ace, Max Fried, who has helped provide a blueprint on how to get many of the same opposing hitters he might face the next night.
“I kind of get a little bit of a game plan,” Rodon said. “We’re slightly different, we’re not exactly the same… I just get an idea of swing tendencies and aggressiveness.”
It will be important reconnaissance to get against a Red Sox team that can deploy very different-looking lineups against lefties compared to righties, and still be plenty effective. They had the luxury of sitting notable bats like Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida for Rob Refsnyder, Nick Sogard, and Nate Eaton.
“I guess their uniqueness is the guys that they can deploy on both sides that can do damage,” Rodon said. “They have bats that can hit lefties and slug, and they have bats that can hit righties and slug. So that would be the uniqueness for them… anybody that makes it in this league is pretty good at baseball, but there are some teams that don’t reach the caliber that the Boston Red Sox do on the platoon.”
