The passion of Carlos Rodon’s pitchers can be endearing when they’re doing well and toxic when they’re struggling.
Rodon’s intensity was mesmerizing on Saturday.
The Yankees left-hander got off to another solid start with an 8-0 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Rangers, but his reaction after the strikeout may be the most memorable one, rather than the strikeout itself.
Rodon gave up five scoreless innings, five walks and three hits, but he was able to get out of tight spots multiple times, the best example being the third inning.
After quickly getting two outs, Rodon walked Marcus Semien and then allowed a single by Josh Jung, putting a runner on second and forcing Rodon to hang in there.
He faced Texas rookie Wyatt Langford, who worked the count full and watched as Rodon hit a hard fastball on the outside corner on the seventh pitch of the at-bat.
Langford dropped his bat and tried to run to first base, but home plate umpire Adam Hamari hit him for the out, and Rodon began yelling toward home plate.
Ultimately, Rodon said he wasn’t angry at Hamari but was directing his words at Langford.
“I kind of lost my cool,” said Rodon, who has a 2.54 ERA in his past five starts. “I think I had an emotional outburst and I said, ‘You take the bat next,’ or something. Nothing personal, just a reaction. … I actually have a lot of respect for him. [Langford]I think he’s a rookie. He did a great job against me in both at-bats.”
“I was a little frustrated” after the first game of a doubleheader, Rodon said — a personality quirk that works when results are coming in but caused problems last season when he turned his back on pitching coach Matt Brake during a mound visit.
Everything’s been good for Rodon this season, and while he wasn’t the most productive pitcher (110 pitches, a season-high), he did get 17 outs on a day when the Yankees were feeling shaky about using the bullpen.
He allowed eight runners but held Texas to no hits for four with runners in scoring position and left the mound in the sixth inning to a standing ovation, paying tribute to the Bronx crowd that frequently booed him last season.
“Right now I’m just trying to hold my own,” Rodon said. “My goal is just to go out there and pitch and give my team the best chance to win and win the game, that’s it.”
