The New York Yankees lost against the Oakland Athletics on Monday afternoon.
The defeat, however, was in no way Carlos Rodon’s fault.
Rodon was in charge of starting the game and, much like it happened during the entire 2024 season to this point, delivered a strong performance.
The owner of a 6.85 ERA in 2023 amid multiple health issues that included a chronic back problem and a forearm strain, Rodon has been much improved this year and tossed seven scoreless innings against the A’s.
Hell of a start for Carlos Rodón pic.twitter.com/aVKArH7ABD
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 22, 2024
In his seven scoreless frames, the left-hander allowed just a single hit and two walks, striking out four.
His ERA for the season decreased all the way to 2.70.
ERA-wise, Rodon is looking more and more like the guy that dominated the league in 2021 with the Chicago White Sox and in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants.
He is still not quite there yet because he would need to miss more bats: after Monday’s start, he has 22 punchouts in 26.2 innings.
When at his best, Rodon will strike out well over a batter per inning.
In any case, this was a step in the right direction and a sign that he is slowly returning to his best version.
The Yankees paid a lot of money for him and were always willing to be patient.
That patience, plus some serious work on his physique during the offseason, is paying off at the moment.
During Gerrit Cole’s absence due to injury, Rodon has been able to deliver some strong performances on the mound and then some.
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