The whole thing was just too perfect.
Carlos Rodon blows a kiss to Yankees fans chirping him pic.twitter.com/fcquCS9Cb0
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 19, 2023
Here is Carlos Rodón, the Yankees’ big offseason acquisition. Who has only thrown 14 2/3 innings this year, of course, because he got hurt. And he has not been any good in that limited work. And here he is, blowing up in a game the Bombers desperately needed. Getting shelled as they slide to a series sweep at the hands of Shohei Ohtani and the Pips. And now some Yankees fan dared to heckle Rodón. And it has been made clear — from the tough-guy manager on down — that the Yankees need not be questioned by the great unwashed. So here is a kiss — to this fan attending Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to the Angels in Anaheim, and to anyone who dares object to this debacle of a season.
Rodón may past this little eff-you move. Especially if he figures out how to pitch like a guy who just got handed $162 million. The fact he and Aaron Boone at least tried to sound remorseful was a start. And the Yankees may still wake up and stumble their way into the postseason. There are a lot of bad teams left on the schedule, after all. And Aaron Judge has to return at some point.
But there is also a good chance this will hang on Rodón for the rest of his time in pinstripes. And that we will look back on it during an October without the Yankees and come to consider this as the nadir of a summer where general manager Brian Cashman’s years of mismanagement finally caught up to him.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
